In Lakeview, apartment tower pitched for rare undeveloped site on Lake Shore Drive

A preliminary proposal to redevelop a vacant Lake View parcel at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Waveland Avenue emerged Thursday in an email from the office of 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman.

The presentation from City Club Apartments shows two glassy buildings: a five-story, 66-foot residential structure at the south end of the site and a 19-story, 206-foot mixed-use tower to the north. The buildings share a low-rise base, new landscaping, and a vehicular cul-du-sac accessed from Waveland Avenue. It’s unclear how many rental units and parking spaces are included in the plan.

The parcel in question is situated directly in front of an existing condo building at 3660 N. Lake Shore Drive and is one of Chicago’s few remaining undeveloped lakefront sites. Offering unobstructed views to the east, the location has been the center of redevelopment speculation for some time and legal negotiations with its neighbors to the west.

Tressa Feher, Alderman Cappleman’s chief of staff, stressed that the project is still a work-in-progress and things like height, design, and unit count are subject to change. “It’s a little early to get so in-depth,” Feher tells Curbed Chicago. “There are still legal ingress and egress issues and other easements that need to be worked out. But we put this out there because so many neighbors have been asking about the project.”

Cappleman will meet at least once with the 46th Ward Zoning Committee to review the plans and collect feedback before he makes his decision regarding the project. City Club Apartments is a busy developer with a presence across the Midwest. The group is behind residential projects in Chicago’s Gold Coast and the Loop.

46th Ward