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Plan to Turn Buddhist Center Site into Parking Garage Faces Public Meeting

By Benjamin Woodard | January 15, 2013 12:59pm
 The Shambhala Meditation Center plans to move to a new location this summer before the building they've owned since 1995 would be torn down under a proposal to erect a four-story parking garage.
The Shambhala Meditation Center plans to move to a new location this summer before the building they've owned since 1995 would be torn down under a proposal to erect a four-story parking garage.
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DNAinfo/Benjamin Woodard

ROGERS PARK — Community members will gather at a Sheridan Road rehabilitation center Wednesday to hear from the alderman and developers about a proposed parking garage that would replace a Buddhist meditation center.

Tawani Enterprises, which manages real estate holdings for billionaire Col. James Pritzker, has been meeting with Ald. Joe Moore (49th) and his zoning committee about the plans to erect the four-story parking structure at 7331 N. Sheridan Road.

Construction of the structure would require the demolition of the existing building on the property, the Shambhala Meditation Center.

The center sold the property to Tawani Enterprises last summer for $1.7 million and has plans to move to a larger location in the West Loop.

[Read more about the center's plan here.]

The proposal needs both community support and approval by the Chicago Plan Commission under the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, Moore said in an email to constituents.

Several zoning changes would also be required, including a front yard set back of 5 feet instead of the required 15-foot front yard, and a 1-foot yard for a portion of the rear property line, instead of the required 5-foot back yard.

The community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at Lake Shore Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre, 7200 N. Sheridan Road.