Zoning application filed for Foundry Park

A zoning application has been filed for the proposed Foundry Park redevelopment. Planned by Chicago-based developer JDL Development and Kayne Anderson Real Estate, the more than $1 billion project will take over the site that was formerly planned as the northern portion of Lincoln Yards, a stalled megadevelopment planned by Sterling Bay. 

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, the scheme will cover almost 28 acres with a maximum of 3,690 apartments and condos, 19 single family homes, 28 townhomes, 180-200 hotel rooms, 350,000 square feet of traditional and medical office space, and 420,000 square feet of retail space. According to the affordable housing requirements in the Planned Development, the plan is to build just 3,207 residential units with 305 owner-occupied units and 2,902 rentals. 641 ARO units would be required once fully built out.

The first phase of the development will be Subarea D, a triangular parcel bound by N. Southport Ave to the west, W. Cortland St to the south, and N. Kingsbury St to the northeast. The site will have an 11-story hotel building at the corner of N. Southport Ave and N. Kingsbury St expected to stand 156 feet tall with 180-200 hotel rooms, parking, and retail space at the ground floor. 

A 13-story residential building midblock along N. Kingsbury St will stand 170 feet tall and an 8-story residential building at the corner of N. Southport Ave and W. Cortland St will reach 116 feet tall. The tallest building in the entire development will stand at the corner of W. Cortland St and N. Kingsbury St, standing 38 stories high with residential, office, and retail, reaching a height of 520 feet tall. 

At the northwestern end of the site, Subareas A and B will be the least dense with 19 single family homes lined up along the Chicago River with N. Dominick St running behind them. 28 townhomes will be organized in a U-shape fronting N. Dominick St and W. Dickens Ave. The townhomes are expected to stand 55 feet tall with the single-family homes topping out at 50 feet tall.

With N. Southport Ave situated as the main north-south axis, Site C runs along its west side and will have a 12-story residential building, 20-story residential building and 25-story residential building getting taller as they go south culminating with the 25-story building at the northwest corner of N. Southport Ave and W. Cortland St. The maximum height in Subarea C will be 300 feet tall with a total of 950 residential units across the three buildings.

Site E encompasses all of the land south of W. Cortland St along the Chicago River. The six buildings planned in this area include a 30-story residential building, a 7-story residential building, a 24-story residential building, a 21-story residential building, a 5-story office building, and a 9-story residential building. The subarea’s maximum height will be 450 feet with a total of 940 residential units.

Site F, located on the west side of the river bounded by W. Cortland St and N. Elston Ave will have a 35-story, 500-unit residential tower with a large fitness center and a 12-story office building. Subarea F is also planned with a maximum height of 450 feet.

With about one third of the site designated as open space, the 8.5 acres designed by Nudge Design include a new river walk, multiple parks, plazas, playgrounds, and a dog park. In Subarea A, a small green space is sited in the center of all the townhomes, while in Subarea B, a new riverwalk stretches along the river adjacent to the new single-family homes. “Crescent Park” and a dog park will be located adjacent to Subarea C along the river just north of W. Cortland St.

In Subarea D, the “Central Square” occupies the center of the block with a large open lawn and surrounding green space. Subarea E includes a green space dubbed “Foundry Point” at the southern tip of the land with riverwalk sections along the entire riverfront as an extension of the 606 Trail. Subarea F has a green space along the riverfront between the buildings and leaves space for the future 606 Trail connection through the site and over the water. 

With the zoning application filed for the amendment to the site’s Planned Development, the project will undergo DPD review and the development can work towards securing approvals from the Chicago Plan Commission, Committee on Zoning, and City Council. The redevelopment agreement that governs the site’s TIF funding for infrastructure will also need to be reworked. According to the developers, the city approval process could reportedly wrap up in Spring 2026 with the first phase of construction potentially kicking off in Fall 2026.