Former Jefferson Park firehouse to remain two stories as redevelopment plans scaled back

by BRIAN NADIG

The city of Chicago is rezoning the site of the 118-year-old former firehouse in Jefferson Park to its previous classification to accommodate revised redevelopment plans.

The property, located at 4837-41 N. Lipps Ave. (near the CTA terminal), was zoned to C1-3 in 2020 to allow for a ground-floor brewery and a third-floor addition to the two-story firehouse. Up to nine apartments were planned for the upper floors.

Under the new plan, the second floor would be retrofitted to consist of four apartments, and the ground-floor would be subdivided to allow for two commercial tenants. The previous planned brewery, Lake Effect, ended up relocating to the Avondale neighborhood.

The 2020 rezoning expired after two years, and under the city’s “Type 1” zoning rules the site can revert back to its previous B3-2 if the zoning administrator seeks to do so. Zoning Administrator Patrick Murphy is the applicant for the zoning change.

Project developer Tim Pomaville of Ambrosia Homes said that adding a third floor would have generated structural issues, especially since it would have been set back from the front of the building in order to help maintain its original two-story feel to passers-by.

Under Type 1 zoning, developers are basically locked into the exact plans at the time of approval. Type 1 zoning is a common tool used by alderpersons to insure that projects remain what was presented to the community at the time of the rezoning, as significant changes would require another rezoning.

“It’s still a win-win … for the neighborhood,” Pomaville said, adding that the existing height of the firehouse would remain unchanged.

The Northwest Chicago Historical Society had urged that the overall two-story character of the building remain due to its historical significance, leading to the setback of the third floor. An earlier plan called for a two-floor addition with no setback.

Each apartment would have two bathrooms and two bedrooms, Pomaville said. The site has six parking spaces, but some could be eliminated due to the city’s landscape requirements.

Pomaville said that a lot of prospective tenants have looked at the first floor space, but no one has signed a lease. Its high ceiling, as the space was once used to store firetrucks, could attract “really cool” businesses to the community, he added.

Leasing the first floor could be made easier once it is fixed up and the space subdivided, Pomaville said. If a tenant wants the entire first floor, the wall could be removed, he said. There’s also a basement which could be used for storage.

The city sold the building to Ambrosia in exchange for putting about $200,000 in an escrow for the property’s environmental remediation. The remediation has been completed, and all of the funds spent, he said.

“It’s totally clean inside. Before it was unsafe,” Pomaville said earlier this year.

For leasing information, call Ambrosia at 312-437-8292.

Meanwhile, a plan to build 31 apartments at 4900 N. Milwaukee Ave. ran into a similar problem because its Type 1 zoning expired. It’s not clear if the project will be moving forward.

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