Chicago Plan Commission votes 9-2 in favor of Six Corners project after affordable units increased to 69 from 52 

by BRIAN NADIG

The Chicago Plan Commission at its March 21 meeting approved a redevelopment proposal for the former Peoples Gas site at Six Corners after the developer agreed to increase the number of affordable housing units from 52 to 69, although several labor-related issues also were raised.

“I think that is an excellent idea,” Alderman James Gardiner (45th) testified after learning of the change.

Plans had called for 52, or 15 percent, of the 346 rental units to be designated as affordable, with the developer buying out the other 5 percent, or 17 units. Normally 20 percent affordable is required, but partial buyouts (about 125,000 to $150,000 per unit) are allowed, with that money going toward the city’s housing fund.

Developer Mitch Goltz of GW Properties said that the agreement with the city called for a minimum 15 percent affordable and that additional affordable units would be added to the mix depending on the overall financial numbers for the project.

However, during the hearing Goltz agreed to 20 percent after some commission members indicated they were not comfortable supporting a project with under 20 percent.

Monica Dillon of Neighbors for Affordable Housing testified that the community has a history of not having enough housing opportunities for Brown and Black families.

The project would offer the largest number of recently constructed affordable units in the area.

The proposal also calls for the former Peoples Gas site at 3955 N. Kilpatrick Ave. to include four singe-story buildings with a total of 30,408 square feet of retail space and a six-level residential complex, which includes duplex apartments. The height of the complex would decrease as it gets closer to existing residential properties to the south.

The commercial portion of the development would be primarily located on the northern half of the 355,000-square-foot site along West Irving Park Road and includes 125 outdoor parking spaces. The residential portion would be located along North Kilpatrick Avenue and North Milwaukee Avenue and includes interior parking with about 205 spaces. There also would be 27 outdoor spaces for visitors. 

Gardiner said that the development would help further revitalize the business district. He said the $110 million project is one of several large redevelopment projects in the area.

At a community meeting hosted last year by Gardiner, residents voiced overall support for the project. The main objections centered around traffic issues in the 3900 block of Kilpatrick, where the 10-story Clarendale senior living complex opened last year and an Aldi grocery store open on March 7.

The proposal would bring the total number of new residential units, including senior housing, at the Six Corners commercial district in recent years to more than 800. The total includes the former Sears and Bank of America redevelopment sites.

One of the planned on-site amenities would be an outdoor pool under the proposal.

Some commission said that the project had too much parking, noting the nearby public transit options.

Goltz said that potential commercial tenants require the surface parking and that Six Corners is “not Lincln Park (or) the West Loop,” where perhaps less parking he said would be needed.

At the hearing, Gardiner encouraged GW to use all union labor for the project’s construction.

Gardiner said after the meeting that GW has not signed a “project labor agreement” assuring that union labor would be used for all of the work. He added that PLAs have been in place for other large development projects in the area and help maintain good safety standards on work sites.

At the hearing union representatives expressed concern about a company they claimed has done work for GW on other projects and has had safety issues.

Goltz said that he is unaware of any Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations and that general contractors for the Six Corners project would be hired through a bidding process and have to be licensed by the city.

A commission member asked GW to provide information on its hiring of minority- and woman-owned contractors.

“The hiring goals for this project include allocating a percentage of the total budget for contracts with certified MBEs and WBEs, aiming to hire a percentage of the project workforce from Chicago residents,” it was reported at the meeting.

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