UPTOWN — A 197-unit development proposed for the heart of Uptown was approved by the Committee on Zoning, Landmark and Building Standards Monday.
Earlier this month, the development at Broadway and Wilson Avenue was approved by the Chicago Planning Commission.
The project received a single "no" vote from Ald. Joe Moreno (1st), who has previously said all affordable housing should be built on-site.
Five of the 197 units will be designated as affordable units and developers will pay about $1.5 million into the Low Income Housing Trust Fund in lieu of including more affordable units.
The development, proposed by Broadway and Wilson LLC, would establish a nine-story, 103-foot tall building in place of the building housing City Sports, Wilson Optical, Family Dollar and Rainbow shops.
Several Uptown residents urged the alderman to postpone any action on the propsal and direct the developer to work with community groups.
The project could otherwise increase homelessness in Uptown and would force local businesses to close, critics of the proposal told the committee.
“We don’t need luxury high rises with people sleeping under the viaducts,” Kim Jeffries, of Northside Action for Justice, told the committee Monday.
The development would include a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and studio units. The development will have multi-tenant retail space on the ground floor and include 44 parking spaces, developers said.
The proposal will face a full City Council vote on Wednesday.
