ROGERS PARK — Loyola University and a development company have released preliminary renderings of the proposed Hampton Inn at the southwest corner of Sheridan Road and Albion Avenue.
The news of the development was first reported last month at a small community meeting with residents living near the site.
Ald. Joe Moore (49th) distributed the renderings Wednesday and announced a larger public meeting about the plans. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Loyola's Bremner Lounge, 1225 W. Loyola Ave.
Plans for the 145-room hotel have been in the works for years.
The university has partnered with Atira Hotels, which intends to build and manage the Hampton Inn, a hotel chain owned by Hilton Worldwide. The first floor would include 10,000 square feet of retail space in about five storefronts managed by Loyola, according to preliminary plans.
The vacant university-owned building that formerly was Carmen's Pizza would be torn down to make way for the development. The university wanted to buy the adjacent two-story building that houses Bruno's Lounge but the owner refused offers to sell, university officials said.
Jennifer Clark, Loyola's associate vice president of campus and community planning, said last month the university was pursuing a sit-down family restaurant for one of the storefronts.
The hotel, with a lobby located off Albion, would be managed by Atira, which manages eight other hotels in the Chicago area.
A covered vehicle turn-around would be located in the building off one-way Albion, which will require part of the street — about a half of a block — to be changed to two-way traffic.
The hotel would need several concessions from the city and Moore. First, the Plan Commission would need to approve construction near the lakefront. Second, the Zoning Board of Appeals would need to approve several special-use permits, for on-site loading, accessory parking and for the operation of the hotel.
Atira also intends to reduce the minimum off-street parking by 50 percent, from 60 to 30 spaces, due to the proximity to the Loyola Red Line station.
The City Council would also need to approve two-way traffic on Albion up to the alley (about half a block), a loading zone on Albion and use of existing public alley to access the parking lot to the west.
A left-turn arrow would also be added to the traffic light at Sheridan and Albion with approval from the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The north side of the building, along Albion, extends six stories to 77 feet, while the east side along Sheridan only extends five stories.
Sanjeev Misra, Atira's president, said last month the southwest corner of the building would only extend one story and would be capped with a green roof. The roof of the fifth story along Sheridan would include a terrace and event space with lake views, he said.
The hotel would be categorized as "limited service," Misra said, and would not include a restaurant or bar. There would, however, be a fitness center and a kiosk for customers to buy prepackaged food.
If approvals are met, Atira expects to open the hotel in late summer 2016.
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