Dear Neighbor,
I invite you to attend a community meeting to review a proposal to build a six-story, 27-unit apartment building at 1315 W. Loyola (between Lakewood and Glenwood). The meeting will be held on Thursday, August 30th, 7:00 p.m., at St. Ignatius Church, 6559 N. Glenwood in the Holy Name Room (enter immediately north of the church).
1315 W. Loyola
A one-story commercial building currently rests on the site (see photo on right) and was used for many years as office and storage space for the Chicago Waldorf School, which was located across the street in the former St. Ignatius school building. The Waldorf School outgrew the St. Ignatius site and is moving to a former Chicago Public School building in Edgewater.
The site currently is zoned B3-2. The proposal requires a zoning change to B2-3. The developer, Bill Gold, also is requesting a reduction in the number of required on-site parking spaces.
The proposal calls for the demolition of the existing commercial building. At my request, however, the developer will preserve and restore the building’s terra cotta facade and incorporate it into the new building’s design.
Click on image to enlarge.
The proposed building would consist of a mix of two, three and four-bedroom dwelling units, ranging in size from 600 to 1500-square feet.
Under the City’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO), three of the units would be affordable to households earning no more than 60% of the area median income ($35,580 for a single-member household, $50,760 for a four-member household). Though the ARO allows the developer to pay a fee to the City in lieu of developing the affordable units or build the units elsewhere, I insisted all the affordable units be provided onsite.
In addition to the zoning change, the developer is requesting a reduction in the City’s on-site automobile parking requirements, from 27 spaces to 11 spaces. This reduction is permitted under the City’s Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Ordinance, which allows reductions in required parking for any residential development located less than 1,320 feet from a rail transit station. The proposed site is located just one and a half blocks from the Loyola Avenue entrance to the Loyola Red Line Station.
The City Council enacted the TOD Ordinance in 2013 to encourage transit ridership while dissuading the ownership of automobiles. The ultimate goal is to reduce traffic congestion, enhance air quality and create more liveable and walkable communities.
For more information on TODs, click here and here.
Click on image to enlarge.
The proposed development also calls for a roof deck on the building (see graphic on right) and a garage behind the building. The 49th Ward Zoning and Land Use Advisory Committee, a committee of neighborhood residents and representatives of the major community organizations in the ward that advises me on all ward zoning and land use issues, reviewed the development and insisted the developer make the roof deck partially green and the garage roof entirely green by planting sedum on the surfaces.
Though the developer plans to provide space for bicycle parking inside the building, the Advisory Committee also insisted the developer provide bike racks on the sidewalk in front of and adjacent to the property.
The Advisory Committee is withholding a recommendation to me pending the outcome of the community meeting.
The proposed zoning change is a “Type 1 Zoning Amendment,” guaranteeing that only the proposed project could be built regardless of whether the underlying zoning allows for a different development. If the developer wishes to make substantial modifications to the approved development plan, he must reapply for the zoning change.
To view copies of the proposed rendering, elevations, floor plans and site plans, click on the Google docs link below:
I urge you to attend the meeting to learn about the proposal and offer your comments. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please feel free to share your questions and comments by replying to this email.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore