BUCKTOWN — Construction on a new apartment building near The 606 and the CTA Blue Line "L" Western station could be underway by spring if everything goes as planned.
Developer Paul DeWoskin with Stepline Development LLC plans to build a new 4-story, nine-apartment building on a lot that has long housed Jensen Plating Works at 1838-1844 N. Western Ave.
The low-slung yellow brick Jensen Plating Works building will be demolished to make way for the new apartments.
DeWoskin's request to shift the site's zoning from a commercial to residential use was approved on Tuesday by the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards after members of the West Bucktown Neighborhood Association and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) supported the change.
The zoning request will now head to the full City Council on Wednesday.
Raymond Valadez, chief of staff to Moreno, said in a statement Moreno "believes this development will be a welcome addition to the Western Avenue commercial corridor."
Check out a rendering of the proposed building by Space Architects + Planners:
Tom Jensen, the third-generation owner of Jensen Plating Works, said Wednesday his family plans to sell the building to Stepline.
"We've been here since the 1940s. With all the building going on, we decided to leave," Jensen said.
Jensen, who will be retiring at the start of the year, referred to his company as "a job shop" that installs plating over steel and brass parts on a wide range of items, running the gamut from musical instruments to plumbing parts.
DeWoskin was not immediately available for comment on the plan.
Construction would start in late spring, said Michael Ezgur, DeWoskin's zoning attorney.
The nine apartments would be anchored by 2,030 square feet of retail space, and there would be 10 car parking spaces and 11 bike spaces for residents, according to the zoning proposal.
