First demo permit issued for retail development at 1800 N. Clybourn

A demolition permit has been issued to make way for a new retail redevelopment of Clybourn Place at 1800 N. Clybourn. Planned by developer CRM Properties, the project is moving forward without the originally planned residential tower component, proceeding under the site’s existing zoning instead of waiting to seek zoning approval for a proposed residential tower within the site. Located in Lincoln Park, the property runs along N. Clybourn Ave and N. Sheffield Ave bisected by W. Willow St and bound by N. Marcey St to the west. 

Dubbed the Willow Street District, the plan calls for five new retail buildings, totaling 43,900 square feet of retail space. According to the site plan shared by Alderman Hopkins’ office via their weekly newsletter, four buildings will be located in the portion of the site on the north side of W. Willow St with a center parking lot with 101 spaces. The property south of W. Willow St will have one 8,300-square foot retail structure with 99 parking spaces. 

The update is a departure from the original plan for the site, announced back in May 2024. The developer had planned a denser assemblage of retail buildings with less parking and a 500-unit residential tower that could have risen 520 feet tall. While the residential tower is reportedly not entirely scrapped, the developer has decided to move forward under the site’s existing zoning to allow for the retail scope of the project to move forward. 

The demolition permit issued for the project will allow for the demolition of the one-story building at the back of the site on the south side of W. Willow St, addressed at 1740 N. Sheffield. The one-story building will be replaced by surface parking, while a new building will be built at the front of the site overlooking the intersection of N. Clybourn Ave, N. Sheffield Ave, and W. Willow St. 

A timeline for construction and delivery of the new retail spaces has not been announced.