5-story building with 31 units and 9 parking spaces proposed for Jefferson Park

by BRIAN NADIG

A five-story building with 31 residential units, ground-floor commercial space and nine on-site parking spaces is being proposed for the former Edward Fox Photography and Ernest Myer Interiors sites at 4900 N. Milwaukee Ave., across from the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal.

In his newsletter, Alderman John Arena (45 th) said that the top floor would consist of an owner-occupied penthouse which would be set back so to it would not be as readily visible to passers-by. Arena also wrote that no parking spaces are required under the zoning code for the project due to its proximity to the transportation center but that nine would be provided.

Arena will hold a community meeting on the proposal at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19, at the Copernicus Center Annex, 5214 W. Lawrence Ave.

The project has been in the works for more than a year, and initial plans had called for only the redevelopment of the former photography site, but the developer was able to later also acquire the former upholstery store site. The project also reportedly been vetted by the 45th Ward Advisory Committee, whose meetings are closed to the public.

The developer also owns the three-story building on the block which houses Weston’s Coffee on the ground floor.

The new development would help “breathe new life” into Downtown Jefferson Park, along with the $25 million renovation of the transit center and other projects in the works,  Arena said.