NOBLE SQUARE — A 160-unit luxury apartment complex could be coming to a vacant lot in Noble Square, according to the project's developer.
On Tuesday, Darren Sloniger, president of Naperville-based Marquette Cos. said that his firm has the 49,620-square-foot plot of land at 1326-1372 W. Walton St. and 933-945 N. Noble St. under contract with the sellers, the neighboring Polish Roman Catholic Union of America.
Marquette Cos. would need a zoning change to build the 5-story luxury apartment complex named "Marq at Noble Square."
Designed by Brininstool + Lynch, the building would have a 111-space parking garage, a bike storage room and "bike kitchen" where residents can make repairs to their bikes, according to the site plan.
Amenities include an outdoor pool and deck on the second floor and a green roof, Sloniger said.
Sloniger said the design was still being tweaked, so he was not ready to share any renderings.
"The building will be more traditional with a masonry feel along the Walton Street side to fit in more with the existing residences. The Noble, Augusta and Kennedy [Expressway] facing sides will have a more modern feel," Sloniger said.
The apartments will comply with the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance and designate some of its units as affordable, though Sloniger said he is not yet sure what the exact number would be.
Sloniger said the project was initially proposed as a 9-story 266-unit building last June to members of the Eckhart Park Community Council, but after meeting with the neighborhood group, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) and the city's Department of Planning, the pitch was reduced by four stories and almost 100 units.
Burnett said he is waiting for feedback from residents before deciding whether to support the development plan.
Jim Robaczewski of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America said the sale of the lot was "a long time coming."
"We have been here for 103 years and started buying up property on the block in the 1980s. The initial intent [for the lot] at one time was to build senior housing for our membership but the city blocked that because it would be exclusive to our members only," Robaczewski said.
Currently, the western half of the land is an empty grassy field and the eastern half is a surplus parking lot for visitors to the Polish Museum of America and the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America.
Elsewhere in Chicago, Marquette Cos. owns a 223-unit apartment building named Catalyst in the West Loop.
The proposed apartment building is about a half block north of St. Boniface Church, which was saved from demolition last fall and will be renovated into 15 condos with 24 apartments next door to the church.
Curbed first reported the zoning change application filed for the project with the city's Department of Planning and Development.
Noble Walton Site Plan by Brininstool + Lynch.
