Zoning change on tap for former Cabaret Lounge
by BRIAN NADIG
Under recent zoning proposals the former Cabaret Lounge at 6101 W. Montrose Ave. would be turned into a heating cooling and supply store, and a four-story, mixed-use building would be constructed on the site of the former Chico’s Bar and Grill at 3612 N. Cicero Ave.
Alderman Nicholas Sposato (38th) said that the Cabaret closed about a year ago and that plans call for the remodeling of the existing one-story building.
The property would be rezoned from RS-3, which is intended primarily for two-flats and single-family homes, to B2-1, which would allow for both the store and a planned residential unit in the rear of the building, Sposato said.
It is not clear how long the property has been zoned for residential use, Sposato said. Commercial businesses can operate as a legally nonconforming use in residential districts as long as the use has been contiguous and in place prior to the residential zoning.
Under the proposal there would be eight parking spaces behind the building.
Meanwhile, G7 Investment is seeking to rezone the Cicero parcel from B3-1 to B2-3 to allow for the construction of a four-story building with a ground-floor storefront and a total of three residential units on the upper floors. In addition, three parking spaces would be located behind the building.
Also, the construction of two three-story buildings, each with nine apartments, is being proposed for the site of the Garden Terrace Banquets, 6330 W. Irving Park Road. Each building would have nine parking spaces.
ERG Real Estate is seeking to have the property rezoned from B3-1 to B2-3 to accommodate the project. Residents expressed support for the project at a community meeting which Sposato held earlier this year.
