LINCOLN PARK — The first piece of the Finkl steel site has been unexpectedly listed for sale.
The 3.24 acre riverfront parcel owned by A. Lakin & Sons is being billed as a strategic location between the former Finkl plant and Gutmann Leather Company, according to listing documents obtained by Curbed Chicago.
The property is at 2044 N. Dominick St., according to Curbed.
The future of the 28-acre area, which includes the shuttered Finkl plant, is uncertain and the re-zoning of the land is the biggest question mark.
The riverfront parcel is one piece of an officially designated Planned Manufacturing District, which some Lincoln Park residents hope to abolish and replace with residential properties.
Paul Biasco discusses why some neighbors are concerned:
Other groups, such as North Branch Works, are seeking to retain the manufacturing district designation in some fashion, as it puts limits on the type of development and business on the land with a goal of keeping high-paying industrial jobs in the area.
North Branch Works is in the final stages of a two-year study of the industrial corridor and is expected to unveil its findings and proposal on the best way to use the land on May 27.
Mike Holzer, director of North Branch Works, said Tuesday he had been unware of the A. Lakin listing, but that the group was preparing for multiple scenarios moving forward.
"I don't think in any fundamental way this will reshape what our group has come up with," Holzer said.
Holzer recently held a closed-door meeting with key stakeholders of the industrial corridor including representatives from neighborhood groups to finalize plans. He declined to discuss what those plans will be, but firmly stated there will be no residential component.
Some Lincoln Park residents who oppose plans for high-tech manufacturing and office/industrial use on the site are pushing for the land to be rezoned residential so that it resembles the DePaul University area.
Mark O'Toole, an attorney and resident of the area who was at the stakeholders meeting, said North Branch presented three plans, each included approximately 2.5 million square-feet of new development consisting of office or industrial use.
"I think the community feels very differently about the position," O'Toole said. "I feel like they are out of touch with what's going on."
O'Toole and developer Warren Baker, who both live near the site, are pushing for the residential neighborhood approach and drafted what they call an "ideal" proposal.
Ranch Triangle, a neighborhood association, also took an official position that it would like to see the Planned Manufacturing District moved to another part of the city.
Holzer said North Branch's study has found that the best uses for the site will be advanced manufacturing, technology, back office or light manufacturing.
He said the group envisions the Finkl site as a complement to the manufacturing innovations that are going on on Goose Island at UI Labs.
"I think having a linkage to a digital lab in the [manufacturing district] for those business to relocate to, to attract partners to, can only help both site," Holzer said. "I think there's a lot of synergy with the two sites."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
