North Union kicks off with 920 N. Wells

The North Union mega development has broken ground on 920 N. Wells, the first of many towers planned for the large site. Generally bounded by the CTA Brown Line tracks and W Oak Street, W Chestnut Street, and N Wells Street, the North Union site will spread across eight acres. Planned by JDL Development, the project is expected to ultimately generate approximately 2.9 million square feet of new construction, including almost 2,700 residential units as well as retail and outdoor space.

With a design by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 920 N. Wells will stand 21 stories tall, holding 238 residential units as well as 8,000 square feet of retail space. The unit mix will consist of 42 studios, 134 one-beds, 54 two-beds, and 8 three-beds. Out of the 238 apartments, 16 will be set aside to meet ARO requirements. Those units will have a mix of 3 studios, 9 one-beds, 3 two-beds, and 1 three-bedroom unit. Rising 250 feet tall, the project will offer residents 105 car parking spaces and 207 bike parking spaces.

With caisson permits issued and ground broken, general contractor Power Construction is expected to deliver 920 N. Wells in late 2023.

Within the broader plan of North Union, developer JDL has tweaked plans for the upcoming towers. At 868 N. Wells, the 25-story mixed-use tower will hold 428 units and 12,000 square feet of retail space. The rest of the buildings have seen design and massing modifications as the plan comes closer to fruition.

While the details of those towers have not been released, the timing of each building has been accelerated. 232 W. Chestnut and 871 N. Franklin are being targeted for 2023-2024. Across the street, 909 N. Franklin is also planned for 2023-2024. At 205 W. Oak and 312 W. Walton, the two large towers overlooking the park will be targeted for 2024-25. To cap off the project, the tallest towers at 300 and 310 W. Oak are planned for delivery in 2025-2026.