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Bucktown Apartment Project on Milwaukee Avenue Gets Committee OK

By  Heather Cherone and Alisa Hauser | June 22, 2017 1:10pm | Updated on June 26, 2017 9:49am

 New retail and apartments are proposed for 1912-1918 N. Milwaukee Ave.
New retail and apartments are proposed for 1912-1918 N. Milwaukee Ave.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

BUCKTOWN — A project to create 11 new apartments, as well as possible new bars and restaurants, in a pair of century-old industrial buildings along the Milwaukee and Western avenues corridor in Bucktown got unanimous approval by a city committee on Thursday.

The buildings, at 1912 N. Milwaukee Ave. and 1914 N. Milwaukee Ave., were built in 1907 and 1910 respectively, according to owner Chris Ilekis, a principal with Downtown real estate development firm Vequity.

Construction could start this fall and deliver the one- and two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 500 to 1,200 square feet, by next spring, Ilekis has said.

At a hearing on Thursday, members of the city's Committee on Zoning, Landmark and Building Standards passed the measure unanimously with no discussion. Next, the matter will need full City Council approval.
 
Andrew Scott, an attorney for Vequity, said the properties are in “significant disrepair.”

A venture headed by Ilekis bought the 1912 N. Milwaukee Ave. building for $437,000 in April of 2016, and the 1914 N. Milwaukee building for $1.35 million on May 11, county records show. Ilekis has said the buildings "will be constructed and marketed separately."

Vequity is also the developer of The Western, a seven-story, 44-unit apartment tower at 1920 N. Milwaukee Ave. that plans to open next month and will eventually be anchored by a Starbucks.

The two-story, 1912 N. Milwaukee Ave. site will offer 2,200 square feet of retail for a possible bar or restaurant and two apartments above it, while the three story 1914 N. Milwaukee Ave. building will offer 4,400 square feet of retail with nine apartments above it, located "in former artist lofts with tin ceilings and expansive ceiling heights" plus outdoor balconies for some of the residences, Ilekis said.

Both buildings have been vacant for years and will be completely renovated Ilekis said, adding that the facades of both buildings "will be restored and improved to preserve the character of both buildings."

Ilekis said modern improvements slated for the buildings include bi-folding door systems on the first floors to allow the future retail/restaurant tenants to create an indoor/outdoor environment.

The city's Committee on Zoning, Landmarks & Building Standards approved the zoning request to change the designation from manufacturing to mixed-used commercial, to allow for the project.

Neither of the buildings will offer parking because the properties are around the corner from the CTA Blue Line Western station, according to the zoning applications.