BOYSTOWN — A new rendering of the proposed LGBT-focused hotel on Halsted shows that the developer has slashed two floors in response to neighbor complaints.
The Out Chicago, a boutique hotel and resort planned at 3343 N. Halsted St., faced opposition from area residents who thought a 10-story, 95-foot building was out of character for the neighborhood.
The latest rendering by Ian Reisner of Parkview Developers and architect Jackie Koo shows an eight-story, 79-foot building, with the top floor set back on all four sides. The seven lower floors will be 69 feet tall.
Previous renderings also included an overhang above Sidetrack, for which Reisner had bought air rights to, but the new version eliminates it in hopes of increasing daylight for nearby residents, according the latest proposal.
Instead, the hotel extends over the Wood restaurant building to the south, near Buckingham Place, and balconies previously featured on the south side of the building are now gone in response to neighbor concerns about noise.
Reisner opened a similar LGBT-focused hotel in New York last spring, and local business leaders hope a Chicago version will anchor Boystown businesses and revive the neighborhood as a gay destination.
The proposal still needs zoning approval from Ald. Tom Tunney (44th). Tunney has said Lakeview does need three or four more boutique hotels, but he won't approve a plan without neighborhood support.
Developers will be meeting with neighbors again Monday night at 7 p.m. in the community room at Town Hall Police District headquarters, 850 W. Addison St.
