Details presented for 375 N. Morgan

Developers recently presented details for their proposed mixed-use development at 375 N. Morgan in a community meeting. With the upcoming Guinness Brewery planned into the zoning, the overall project site spans W. Kinzie St from N. Peoria St to N. Morgan St with the Metra tracks to the south. The development is being planned by Latsko Interests, who has owned the site for many years, and JDL Development, whose involvement here is their first in the Fulton Market neighborhood. 

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, the new tower will stand 38 stories, bringing 460 units to the site, 20% of which will be affordable. Designed as an asymmetrical glass-and-metal tower, the building will top out at 482 feet. With a grade change along W. Kinzie St, the residential entry will front N. Morgan St, while the parking entrance will meet the second floor of the building along W. Kinzie St to access the planned 138 car parking spaces. 

With the tower oriented to the western side of the site, a public open space has been created as a buffer between the new building and the future Guinness brewery. The urban park will offer seating and greenery as an amenity for the community. The park will connect to the urban green space that is part of the 360 N. Green development, just south of the brewery and new tower.

To improve the pedestrian experience, the development would convert the angled parking spaces on W. Kinzie St to parallel parking spaces, while incorporating active uses everywhere possible, especially along N. Morgan St and the building’s south frontage overlooking the green space and Metra tracks beyond. As part of the project, there will be 16,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space and 5,300 square feet of private exterior space for the building residents.

In regard to sustainability, the project will reduce water use, divert construction waste, exceed the energy code, plant trees, install green roofs, install EV charging stations, install a CTA digital display, and sponsor a new Divvy bike share station on the property.

With the developers seeking to rezone the site to DX-5 before instituting a Planned Development, the project’s next step would be to go before the Chicago Plan Commission later this summer. Once final approvals are secured from the Committee on Zoning and City Council, the developers will need to secure financing despite the difficulty in the capital markets currently. The team was wary about committing to a date for construction to begin but suggested that their goal would be for a Q2 or Q3 2024 start.