LAKEVIEW — A long vacant storefront on Halsted Street could soon be replaced with an apartment building.
Sappanos Paint and Wallpaper store, 2940 N. Halsted St., has been empty since September 2009, and in an area largely occupied by condos, owner Martin Gibbons and architect Brian Milbury struggled to find a business to take the space.
"We’re basically the only business sitting there," Milbury said. "It’s made getting a commercial tenant very difficult."
The duo asked Central Lake View Neighbors for a zoning change so that they could put a four-story residential building in the shuttered business's place. The proposed building would house 25 units, including three affordable ones and four duplexes. It would include a garage with spaces for 25 cars.
Gibbons' company would manage the rental units, and they could potentially convert them into condos eventually.
"We’ve got multi-faimly to the north, south and east of us," Milbury said. "A viable tenant is needed on the property."
Central Lakeview Neighbors will vote on the zoning change at the next meeting.