Two-tower development slated for 601 W. Monroe adds public dog park

Vancouver-based Pacific Reach Properties has further refined its plans for a pair of 47- and 40-story high-rise apartment towers at 601 W. Monroe Street. If approved, the Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed development would bring 1,053 rental units, 30,000 square feet of retail, and 430 parking spaces to a 1.5-acre site in the West Loop Gate, currently occupied by a surface parking lot.

The latest raft of changes includes the addition of a 3,000-square-foot publicly accessible dog park next to Heritage Green Park. Additionally, the ground-floor setback on South Desplaines Street has increased four feet to boost the sidewalk width to nearly 20 feet, according to a recent email from the office of Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd). The developer has also agreed to "numerous commitments" to keep neighbors happy during construction, the email said.

Putting pressure on a developer to provide a public dog park is hardly a new move for Ald. Reilly, who has previously advocated for canine amenities at Exhibit apartments in River North and the One Bennett Park development in Streeterville. The fact that little else about the proposal has changed since breaking cover in Februrary is an encouraging sign that Pacific Reach Properties is likely close to earning the alderman's blessing for 601 W. Monroe.

The proposal will also require the support of the Chicago Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards and City Council before work can begin. The developer will also be on the hook for a $5.5 million contribution to the city's Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, which supports economic investment in underserved communities on the city's South and West sides.

If city approvals go as planned, Pacific Reach aims to break ground on the taller 47-story east tower in early 2022 and deliver the building in mid-2024. The 40-story western tower would open in 2025, an executive at Pacific Reach told the Chicago Tribune earlier this year.