City Council approves The Grove

The Chicago City Council has approved a rezoning for The Grove, a new mixed-use development at 4735 S. Cottage Grove. Planned by Milhouse Development and Syzygy Cities, the project will add to a current trend of new development along the S. Cottage Grove corridor, with Northwestern Medicine planning a new outpatient center just across the street at the southwest corner of S. Cottage Grove Ave and E. 48th St. 

With Krueck Sexton Partners leading the design, the project will consist of a three-story mixed-use building. Rising 60 feet, the building’s contemporary design will incorporate a glass and metal screen facade that creates movement along S. Cottage Grove Ave. The mass timber structure will be revealed inside, while the overall building will be topped by a solar panel array. 

At the ground level, the storefront will open to expand the public realm into the ground floor food hall. The upper floors will include further commercial and restaurant space, with a Five Iron Golf and NFT Gallery planned for the second floor. Outdoor terraces on the third floor will offer views of the surrounding city. Benefitting from the new Connected Communities Ordinance, the project will only provide 13 parking spaces. 

Since the development site is currently vacant, city-owned land, the development team recently went in front of the Community Development Commission to receive approval for the sale of land which is being written down from its appraised value of $1.27 million down to $1. 

With City Council approval secured to rezone the site from RM-5 to B3-3, the development team is one step closer to bringing the project to fruition. Before construction can start, the developers will need City Council to sign off on the land sale and then permits will need to be filed. Milhouse Engineering & Construction will partner with Leopardo Companies for the construction.