Planning

As anyone going by on Halsted between Fullerton and Belden will notice, DePaul University has begun work on the new home for the university’s School of Music.  This project has been in the offing for several years as a part of its 10-year master plan.  After completion of the new Theater School, the Music School is the next major project on the Lincoln Park campus.

A number of planning and development issues and projects affecting Sheffield should move forward significantly in the upcoming months.  First of all, it has been reported in the press that a nationally known developer, Sterling Bay, has shown considerable interest in the Lakin and Gutmann Tannery sites along the Chicago River.  Subsequently, it was reported that Sterling Bay was interested in the Finkl Steel site, as well.  Sterling is known for its commercial and tech industry developments a

The new Walgreens store at Armitage and Dayton is near completion and will open on May 8.  The construction of this new store has taken some time and been the source of some controversy.  Because this property was previously occupied by a church, it was not included in the Armitage-Halsted Chicago Landmark District and consequently, the demolition of the prior building and the construction of the new building were not subject to the rules for construction in a landmark district. 

The North Branch River Works project team will hold a second community outreach meeting on Wednesday, November 19, at 6 pm at the Bucktown-Wicker Park Public Library, 1701 N. Milwaukee. 

McCaffrey Interests, developer of the vacated Children’s Memorial Hospital site, presented its revised plan to the Chicago Plan Commission on February 20.  The Plan Commission unanimously approved the Plan, which will now go to the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council.  After McCaffrey made a number of additional changes to the plan presented at the January 14 Community Meeting, 43^rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith has indicated her support for the revised Plan.  It is anticipa

For many years, the Fullerton State Bank Building at Fullerton and Janssen has been vacant.  Because of its distinctive façade, this building was designated a Chicago Landmark along with a group of other bank buildings by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the City Council.  A few years ago, there was interest expressed in converting the building into a theater for live theatrical performances.  In fact, the zoning of the property was changed so that a theatrical stage elevator requiring

There are several proposals involving significant issues in and around Sheffield that await further word from the project proponents and the aldermen’s office.  The largest project is the proposed redevelopment of the Children’s Memorial site.  It appears that progress on the plans for the development of the site are being held up by questions relating to the possibility of including a new public school in order to alleviate overcrowding at the nearby Lincoln Elementary School.  An article in

As reported in various news outlets, plans for a new Walgreens at Armitage and Dayton are going forward.  There have been several revisions in the plans for the new building in part as a result of conversations with representatives of the Armitage-Halsted Landmark District Community Advisory Committee and also in response to comments by neighbors at the community meeting.