RIVER WEST — Developers officially broke ground Thursday on new apartments and a grocery here, a project city officials see as a symbol of growth in the quickly changing neighborhood.
The 363-unit development at 1001 W. Chicago Ave. replaces a longtime Gonnella Bread bakery, a vintage loft whose doughy aroma and big neon sign cast a presence well beyond River West for decades.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who once lived in two different apartments nearby, said he'll miss the smells, but Gonnella's replacement will bring a bigger impact.
"It won't be the same without the smell of bread and trucks at 5 a.m.," Emanuel said. "But this is a step up."
RELATED: Arrivederci, Gonnella Bread: River West Bakery Makes Way for Apartments
From left: developer Rob Bond, Emanuel, and Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) break ground. [DNAinfo/David Matthews]
The project is the latest in River West, a onetime Downtown afterthought that's now poised for major change. Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), who grew up in Cabrini-Green nearby, said he and his friends used to come here to catch coyotes and rabbits.
"We used to call this area 'ghost town,'" he said. "So this area has come a long way."
Now, developers are rushing into the area as people get priced out of more mature Downtown neighborhoods. A 227-unit apartment building called Kenect is opening next week nearby at 500 N. Milwaukee Ave., and another developer plans to convert a loft building at 925 W. Chicago Ave. to more apartments.
A venture led by developer Rob Bond last year acquired the Gonnella site, which sits near a Blue Line stop and the "hipster highway" bicycle lanes on Milwaukee Avenue. Right now, the closest big grocery is a Jewel store at Desplaines and Kinzie streets nearly a mile away.
"We love this location," Bond said.
A rendering of the building's 15th-floor party room. [FitzGerald Associates]
The project will include a new grocery store and restaurant, but Bond said he's still working to secure tenants. Rents have yet to be determined, but the building will also include 15 "affordable housing" units. The building is expected to open in 2018.
Emanuel said 29 construction cranes are at work in the city, and eight more are going through city approvals. Each crane represents "around 1,200 jobs," Emanuel said. Bond's project will create about 800 construction jobs, and 200 more once the grocery store and restaurant open.
About 4,000 homes are under construction within a mile of the former Gonnella site, said John Bosca of the Neighbors of River West group. Last month, a manufacturer incubator called mHub opened down the street from Bond's new building.
"You create that kind of synergy ... you're going to have growth of a neighborhood," Emanuel said.
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