Further details emerge for Foundry Park development

More details have emerged for the proposed Foundry Park as the developers present their latest plans to the local community. Planned by Chicago-based developer JDL Development is teaming up with Kayne Anderson Real Estate, the latest update comes after the developers recently closed on the acquisition of the site which was formerly planned as the northern portion of Lincoln Yards, a stalled megadevelopment planned by Sterling Bay. 

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, the scheme will cover almost 28 acres with approximately 3,2000 apartments and condos, 19 single family homes, 28 townhomes, 180-200 hotel rooms, approximately 435,000 square feet of retail space, about 300,000 square feet of medical office space, and about 100,000 square feet of office space.

The northwestern corner of the site will be the least dense with 19 single family homes lined up along the Chicago River with N. Dominick St running behind them. 28 townhomes will be organized in a U-shaped fronting N. Dominick St and W. Dickens Ave. The townhomes are expected to stand 55 feet tall with the single-family homes topping out at 50 feet tall.

With N. Southport Ave situated as the main north-south axis, Site C runs along its west side and will have a 12-story residential building, 20-story residential building and 25-story residential building getting taller as they go south culminating with the 25-story building at the northwest corner of N. Southport Ave and W. Cortland St. The maximum height in Subarea C will be 300 feet tall.

Site D is a triangular parcel bound by N. Southport Ave to the west, W. Cortland St to the south, and N. Kingsbury St to the northeast. The site will have a 11-story hotel building at the corner of N. Southport Ave and N. Kingsbury St expected to stand 156 feet tall, a 13-story residential building midblock along N. Kingsbury St standing 170 feet tall, an 8-story residential building at the corner of N. Southport Ave and W. Cortland St reaching 116 feet tall, and the tallest building in the entire project at the corner of W. Cortland St and  N. Kingsbury St, standing 38 stories high with residential, office, and retail, reaching a maximum height of 520 feet tall. 

Site E encompasses all of the land south of W. Cortland St along the Chicago River. The six buildings planned in this area include a 30-story residential building, a 7-story residential building, a 24-story residential building, a 21-story residential building, a 5-story office building, and a 9-story residential building. The subarea’s maximum height will be 450 feet. 

Site F, located on the west side of the river bounded by W. Cortland St and N. Elston Ave, will have a 35-story residential tower with a large fitness center and a 12-story office building. Subarea F is also planned with a maximum height of 450 feet. 

With about one third of the site designated as open space, the 8.5 acres designed by Nudge Design include a new river walk, multiple parks, plazas, playgrounds, and a dog park. In Subarea A, a small green space is sited in the center of all the townhomes, while in Subarea B, a new riverwalk stretches along the river adjacent to the new single-family homes. “Crescent Park” and a dog park will be located adjacent to Subarea C along the river just north of W. Cortland St.

In Subarea D, the “Central Square” occupies the center of the block with a large open lawn and surrounding green space. Subarea E includes green space “Foundry Point” at the southern tip of the land with riverwalk sections along the entire riverfront as an extension of the 606 Trail. Subarea F has a green space along the riverfront between the buildings and leaves space for the future 606 Trail connection through the site and over the water. 

Expected to cost over $1 billion, the development continues to move forward as the developers have closed on their acquisition of the land and presented these latest plans to the community last night. The site’s Planned Development will need to be revisited and amended as well as the redevelopment agreement that governs the TIF funding for the site’s infrastructure. The city approval process could reportedly wrap up in Spring 2026 with the first phase of construction potentially kicking off in Fall 2026.