Gold Coast apartment tower with 368 units doesn’t get approval from alderman

A plan to replace a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Gold Coast with a 39-story apartment tower set has been withdrawn.

In April, Chicago developer Newcastle Ltd. revealed their plan to build the high-rise at 1130 N. State Street, but 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins nixed it according to the Chicago Tribune, because of its disproportionately large size and less-than-ideal design.

“It’s excessively tall for that lot, it’s not an attractive structure and it does not fit in with the neighborhood,” Hopkins told the Tribune. “They missed the mark on all counts.”

That statement echoes many of the complaints lodged at the project by some of its neighbors at a public meeting held on April 11, who voiced concerns about traffic, blocked views, too little parking, and shadows.

Designed by architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), the proposed 425-foot-tall development called for 368 rental apartments, 19,000 square feet of commercial space, a roof deck with a swimming pool, and 161 parking spaces.

An adjacent Newcastle project at the northwest corner of State and Division is still under review. The proposed 11-story building at 1200 N. State Street would replace several low-rise commercial structures with 102 rental units, 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a 32-car garage.

Hopkins told the Tribune that he has not yet decided whether to support the 1200 N. State Street development but said it had “much stronger community support.”