Group OK’s NW Side zoning cases

by BRIAN NADIG

The City Council Zoning Committee approved a four-unit residential building and a drive-through facility for a restaurant in the 39th Ward at its April 23 meeting.

Chi Partners LLC is seeking to rezone a triangular-shaped vacant lot at 4211 N. Harding Ave., which runs along an alley parallel to Elston Avenue., from RS-3 Residential Single-Unit District to RT-3.5 Residential 2-Flat, Townhouse and Multi-Unit District.

Alderman Margaret Laurino (39th) said that initial plans had called for eight units on the parcel, but that the plan was scaled back in response to community feedback.

The exterior of the two-story building, which would not have a basement, would consist of face brick and siding. There would also be four parking spaces on the 6,189-square-foot parcel.

The committee also approved an amendment to the planned development ordinance that governs the site of Seafood City grocery store at 5033 N. Elston Ave. to allow for a stand-alone, 2,400-square-foot restaurant with a pickup window.

Committee member Alderman Raymond Lopez (15th) praised the design of the restaurant, calling it "chic and trendy." The exterior would include pre-finished metal panels and an aluminum curtain wall.

Laurino, who serves on the committee, said that the project would be "a wonderful addition" to the area, adding that she held a community meeting on the proposal. The developer, GBF Elston LLC, has not released the name of the restaurant.

Also at the meeting, the committee approved rezoning an industrial site at 6025 N. Keystone Ave. from B1-1 Neighborhood Shopping District to C2-1, which allows for a variety of commercial uses.

The zoning change would allow the site’s existing occupant, Midwest Manufacturing and Distributing, to obtain a requisite license. The company creates and distributes metals for the lighting and automotive industries, artists and farmers.

No changes to the 12,000-square-foot building on the site are planned.