Alderman rejects plan for mixed-use senior housing complex at Six Corners intersection

A long-discussed plan to build a 10-story mixed-use development with 251 senior housing units and an Aldi grocery store at the Six Corners intersection in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood failed to win over recently elected 45th Ward Alderman Jim Gardiner.

“Based upon community feedback received through a multitude of forums over the course of several months, I am unable to support the current proposal,” Gardiner wrote in a newsletter to residents on Friday evening. “I am eager to work towards identifying compromises that bring in new investments to Six Corners and better resemble guidelines set forth by the Six Corners Economic Development Master Plan.”

The alderman’s announcement came just days after he hosted a meeting at which co-developers Clark Street Real Estate and Ryan Companies presented an updated version of their $130 million plan to nearby residents. Changes included extra units of on-site affordable housing, per Gardiner’s suggestion, according to Chicago Block Club.

Known as The Point at Six Corners, the proposal hoped to fill a water-filled pit at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Irving Park Road in the center of the area’s main shopping district. The project had the backing of previous Alderman John Arena as well as the Chicago Plan Commission. It stalled at the April meeting of the city’s zoning committee due to a last-minute procedural maneuver.

While a number of residents and business owners, including the Old Irving Neighborhood Association and the Six Corners Association, were vocal in their support of The Point, other community members expressed concerns that the project was too tall and dense and its 215 parking spaces insufficient. Gardiner’s request to more closely comply with the 2013 master plan—which calls for a four- to five-story development at the site—suggests he agrees with calls to downsize the proposal.

It’s unclear what—if anything—comes next for the flooded pit at 4747 W. Irving Park Road or how Gardiner’s decision could influence other projects proposed for the Six Corners area such as the redevelopment of the former Sears complex across the street.