Plan Commission approves slightly shorter tower at 420 N. May

The Chicago Plan Commission has approved the mixed-use development planned at 420 N. May. Planned by Crescent Heights, the project site is bound by the Metra tracks to the north, N. May St to the east, W. Kinzie St to the south, and N. Racine Ave to the west. 

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, the 53-story skyscraper has received a haircut in response to community concerns, reducing the crown of the building from 615 feet down to 575 feet tall. The building will deliver 587 residential units with 3,100 square feet of retail space. To meet affordable requirements, 118 of the units, or 20%, will be set aside as affordable. The building’s unit mix includes 213 studios, 185 one-beds, 165 two-beds, 15 three-beds, and 9 four-beds. Of those, the affordable units will be made up of 43 studios, 37 one-beds, 35 two-beds, 3 three-beds, and 1 four-bed. 440 parking spaces will be provided in the building.

The tower’s design combines a vertical point tower that features faceted glazing with a stepped portion connected by an inset reveal between the two sections. At the base, the six-story podium is broken down with setbacks to maintain a relationship with the surrounding neighborhood context. At the southeastern corner of the site, an existing masonry brick building will be maintained and stained to integrate it into a cohesive podium expression.

On the interior, the podium has been designed to activate all street-facing elevations. On the ground floor, the residential entry and common space will sit underneath the residential point tower, while leasing offices and retail space will face W. Kinzie St. A coworking amenity space and bike parking will face N. May St. On the upper floors of the podium, residential units will screen the parking spaces before the amenity deck tops off the podium. The existing water tower will also be retained in the new design.

The developer is looking to rezone the site from M2-3 to DX-5 and get a FAR bonus of 3.1 by paying approximately $5.3 million into the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. With approval from the Chicago Plan Commission, the proposed Planned Development will now head to City Hall to get approvals from the Committee on Zoning and City Council. While market conditions are not ideal, the developer estimates that they are about 12-18 months away from starting construction. Once commenced, construction on the approximately $300 million development will take 26-30 months.