Sterling Bay to replace ADM flour mill with two-tower plan

Developer Sterling Bay has announced plans for a two-tower plan for the former ADM flour mill site. Located at 1300 W Carroll Avenue, the property has been in the hands of Sterling Bay since 2020 when they acquired it for $25 million. Plans for the site have been under wraps since then, even as Sterling Bay got approvals for a 14-story office building at the adjacent 1200 W Carroll Avenue. Demolition of the historic ADM Flour Mill commenced earlier in February 2021, with the site cleared recently in October.

The newly revealed plan calls for two new mixed-use towers. Designed by SOM, the new zoning filing shows plans for a 418-foot first-phase tower, with a second tower planned to rise up to 515 feet. The Phase 1 tower will rise 38 stories, holding 338 residential units and approximately 205,000 square feet of office space. 460 parking spaces will also be included in the first phase with ground floor commercial space.

The tower design consists of a thinner 38-story massing along the northern edge of the property, with a nine-story podium fronting W Carroll Avenue that will hold the office space. The tower portion will have an aluminum and glass facade delineated with masonry clad spandrel panels and column covers. The office podium will be an entirely glass and aluminum facade system.

While no design has been revealed, the second tower will be allowed to rise a maximum of 515 feet. The programming of the tower is flexible, with it able to either hold 633 dwelling units or approximately 570,000 square feet of office space. There is also a potential to split the square footage between uses. 255 parking spaces will be included with ground floor commercial space facing the street.

The development will adhere to the ARO requirement by providing 20% affordable units on-site, totaling 194 dwellings. While Sterling Bay has not revealed a timeline for the development, the project will need to get approvals from the Chicago Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, and the full Chicago City Council. An appearance at the Committee on Design is also expected.