Apartments ready to dig in next to Wilson CTA

Another transit-oriented development (TOD) is ready to break ground in Uptown. A partial building permit was issued Friday to a venture between developers The John Buck Company and Free Market Ventures to begin construction on a nine-story, 200-unit rental development at 4611 N. Broadway.

Dubbed Platform 4611, the project will rise across the street from the renovated CTA station at Wilson and replace a cluster of commercial buildings that formerly housed City Sports and Family Dollar. The low-rise structures were demolished earlier this year, Uptown Update reported. The redevelopment of the prominent corner site has been under discussion for more than five years.

Pappageorge Haymes Partners designed the upcoming building with a traditional appearance. The city's Landmark Commission had to sign off on the design last November due to its location within the historic Uptown Square District. The finished development will deliver 200 rental units, roughly 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and off-street parking for 22 cars and 178 bicycles. 

Amenities include a touch-less entry sequence, destination dispatch elevators, reserve-able individual office space on each residential floor, dedicated co-working space on the amenity level, a fitness center, and a rooftop deck boasting views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.

The recently issued permit estimates the scope of the work at $2.8 million, which includes foundations and vertical construction up to the second level. The building will take roughly 14 months to complete, according to an earlier timeline shared by Ald. James Cappleman (46th). The permit lists McHugh Construction as the project's general contractor.

Just steps to the east, work is also underway on an upcoming five-story TOD featuring 62 rental units and 13 parking spaces. The historic former Wilson Theater building sits between the two apartment projects and will eventually be renovated into the new Uptown home for the Double Door music venue, which was evicted from its longtime Wicker Park location in 2017.