Residential development proposed at 1055 W. Diversey

Developer Contemporary Concepts Inc has presented plans for their proposed development at 1055 W. Diversey to the local community. Planned at the southeast corner of W. Diversey Pkwy and N. Seminary Ave, the project site is currently occupied by a former church building whose congregation is moving to a different location. 

Designed by Studio Dwell Architects, the new development would stand five stories tall with 24 residential units. The residential units will be split into one one-bed, nine two-beds, 13 three-beds, and one four-bedroom unit. While four units will be set aside as affordable, the market rate units will be priced at $3000/month for two-beds, $4,000-$4,200/month for three-beds, and $5,500/month for the four-bedroom unit.

Rising approximately 58 feet tall, the five-story building will be clad in brick with metal accent panels and a sawtooth brick pattern accent on the ground floor. The windows on the ground floor will feature limestone surrounds. 

The building’s residential entry will front N. Seminary Ave, with five residential units and a bike room for 7 bikes on the ground floor. A single accessible parking space will be accessible from the alley. Two of the ground floor residential units will have private terraces.

Community members had mixed reactions. One neighbor asked if the developer considered building a larger building, but they felt this size was a sweet spot for buildability and fitting into the neighborhood context. Another neighbor asked for more green initiatives in the building and another neighbor asked for more bike parking. While feedback was mostly positive, one neighbor raised concerns about the lack of parking, but Alderman Knudsen explained how residents in this TOD building would be ineligible for neighborhood permit parking to mitigate impacts on neighbors.

To allow for the development to move forward, the developer is seeking a rezoning from RT-4 to B2-3 as well as a set of zoning variations. If they receive support from the alderman, the development team would seek to introduce the zoning application in April, go before the Committee on Zoning and City Council in May and then start the permitting process. The construction period would last approximately a year and they hope to finish in Summer 2025.