Department of Planning & Development Oct. 31, 2017

Mayor breaks ground on 'Hatchery' food incubator in East Garfield Park Featuring food grade space for approximately 100 early-stage food entrepreneurs, the Hatchery is a partnership between Accion Chicago, ICNC, IFF, and two corporate partners, the Kellogg Company and Conagra Brands. The 67,000-square-foot, $34 million project at Lake and Kedzie is being supported by the City with $8 million in New Markets Tax Credits. It's expected to create 150 jobs in the first year.  Read more

Landmarks Commission honors Chicago's best preservation projects The 2017 recipients of the Landmarks Commission's "Preservation Excellence Awards" include the the rehabilitation of the long-vacant Rosenwald Court Apartments in Grand Boulevard, the restoration of the 134-year-old All Saints Episcopal Church in Uptown and the adaptive reuse of the Bush Temple of Music on the Near North Side. “The Preservation Excellence Awards celebrate the remarkable commitments of private property owners to Chicago’s heritage, its history, and its character,” said David L. Reifman, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, which provides staff services to the Landmarks Commission. “In terms of rehabilitation and new construction, these projects represent the best of the best.” Read more

From 'Waste to Wonder' Panel re-imagines Chicago riverfront As part of the ongoing River Edge Ideas Lab exhibit at Expo 72, Commissioner Reifman joined Chicago developers John Buck and Erin Lavin Cabonargi and architect Philip Enquist to discuss the Chicago River's evolution as the city's second coast. Watch the video

November meetings to provide information on Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grants To be held on the South and Southwest sides, the meetings will explain how to apply and receive up to $250,000 for development projects in select neighborhood commercial corridors. Applications are due Dec. 22. The meetings will take place: 1:30-4:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2, The Kroc Center, 1250 W. 119th St. 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, Little Village Lawndale High School, 3120 S. Kostner Ave. Read more

'City Lots for Working Families' to build single-family homes and two-flats on City land Through partnerships with local real estate developers, the City Lots for Working Families program will foster housing construction on City-owned land by reducing the cost of site acquisition to $1. Eight to 20 City-owned lots throughout Chicago will be conveyed per project, each with a maximum appraised value of $125,000. Once built, the homes would be priced at approximately $300,000 for qualified buyers with incomes up to 140 percent of area median income, or $110,600 for a family of four. Read more

Peapod moves its headquarters from Skokie to downtown Chicago The country's leading online grocer is the latest firm to leave a suburban outpost for the West Loop. Peopod expects its office to be ready at 300 S. Riverside Plaza in early 2018. Other food industry leaders that recently made moves to set up an HQ in the city limits include McDonald's, Conagra Brands, ADM, Mead Johnson, Beam Suntory, Kraft Heinz and Oscar Meyer. Read more

City submits bid to bring Amazon's HQ2 to Chicago The potential headquarter locations in the bid include a pair of downtown locations, six neighborhood locations, and two suburban campuses. Each area aligns closely with Amazon’s criteria and leverages the strengths of Chicago’s diverse and talented workforce, unparalleled transportation systems and close proximity to local airports.  Read more

Burnett and Reifman talk planning, development in CAN-TV interview Near West Side Ald. Walter Burnett sat down with Commissioner Reifman on his Network 27 talk show. The hour-long conversation focuses on the changing nature of jobs and development in Chicago and how the City is working to capitalize on that economic activity. Watch the video

Affordable rent levels preserved at Logan Square apartment buildings A pair of Logan Square apartment buildings will rent at affordable income levels for another 30 years thanks to transactions closed this month by DPD. The 67-unit Lyndale Apartments at 2575 W. Lyndale St. and the 100-unit Renaissance West Apts. at 2517 W. Fullerton Ave. were purchased by The Habitat Co. for $12.9 million. A $1.4 million loan assumption agreement with DPD will ensure all of the units will be rented for tenants earning up to 60 percent of AMI . More than $6 million in rehab work is planned both properties.

Commission on Chicago Landmarks  Recommendations & News

Johnson building gets Landmarks' nod, heads to City Council The Commission gave a final landmark recommendation this month for the former Johnson Publishing building at 200 S. Michigan Ave. The long-time home of Ebony and Jet magazines, this brutalist tower was designed by John Moutoussamy, the first black man to become a partner at a large Chicago architectural firm. The designation includes all street-facing exteriors and the iconic "Ebony Jet" sign on the roof. The building is being sold by Columbia College to a private developer. Read the staff report

Old Post Office gets preliminary designation and tax incentive The Landmarks Commission granted preliminary landmark status to the art deco Old Post Office building, which was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and constructed in 1921 and 1933. The commission also voted in favor of a Class L property tax incentive for an ongoing, $600 million rehabilitation project by 601W that will create 1,000 temporary jobs, more than 14,000 permanent jobs, and add more than $19 million annually to the City tax rolls. Read the staff report

Chicago Plan Commission Approvals

Kinzie Industrial Corridor The Commission approved DPD's proposal to repeal a portion of the Planned Manufacturing District east of Ogden Avenue within the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. Recommended in the 2014 Fulton Market Innovation District plan, the 63-acre area will be primarily re-zoned to a manufacturing designation and include an overlay district that prohibits residential uses. The repeal also expands the boundaries of the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus system and creates new resources for industrial development citywide.

4201 N. Oak Park Ave. Chicago Public Schools' plan for a new Reed Dunning School on the northwest side includes a three-story building that can house around 1,200 students and an athletic field to be built at a later date.

4019 W. Belmont Ave. Moises Cukierman's plan for Belmont and Karlov avenues in Avondale includes 22 three-story townhomes and up to 44 parking spaces.

845 W. Adams St. Crayton Advisors and White Oak Realty Partners' plan for the West Loop calls for a 18-story, 289-unit tower with first-floor retail space. The $100 million project includes a voluntary payment of $2.15 million into the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus system, $3.67 million into the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, and seven affordable units on site.

6700 S. Wentworth Ave. The City of Chicago's new headquarters for the Department of Fleet and Facility Management in Englewood will replace the current facility on Throop Street near Goose Island. About 175 people will work at the 180,000-square-foot complex, which will maintain thousands of City vehicles.

801 S. Ashland Ave. GRE Medical District City Apartments' plan for the corner of Ashland and Taylor calls for a 19-story tower with 254 residential units, and up to 254 additional units for a later phase on a nearby site. The project includes six affordable units on site and a $2.37 million payment into the City's affordable housing fund.

Development By the Numbers

32,000

32,000 square feet is the size of the new Treasure Island Foods location in Uptown. The store will be the family-owned company's eighth Chicago location and the first to open since 2009.

38.5	38.5 percent of Chicago residents over the age of 25 had at least a bachelor's degree in 2016, compared to just 29.3 percent in 2006. That 10-year improvement is better than the national average, and it's also better than the increases seen in New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Philadelphia.

300 billion

Chicago's stock of investable corporate real estate assets totals $300 billion , ranking it seventh in the world, according to new estimates from CBRE.

DPD Commissions and Boards Meeting Agendas & Minutes

Chicago Plan Commission      Community Development Commission Commission on Chicago Landmarks  Zoning Board of Appeals