Redevelopment opportunity advertised for vacant parcel across from Jefferson Park CTA Terminal

by BRIAN NADIG

A real estate sign offering a “prime ground lease opportunity” for a business was recently posted on a 13,068-square-foot vacant lot across from the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal.

The property has been vacant for years, and it’s one of several parcels in Jefferson Park which over the years were upzoned for a dense residential project that was never built. About a block away is a parking lot at Lipps Avenue and Ainslie Street rezoned for a 16-story building in 2017, but the development never materialized. Another site — near the Jefferson Park Metra Station — was rezoned for about 48 apartments but eventually had single-family homes constructed there.

The parcel now being promoted for lease at 4900 N. Milwaukee Ave. was rezoned in early 2019 to B3-3 to accommodate a five-level complex with retail space, nine parking spaces off the rear alley and 31 apartments, including a fifth-floor penthouse unit. About 20 percent of the units would have been set aside for the city’s affordable (reduced rent) housing program for households earning up to around 60 percent of the area’s median income.

About 3 years ago the site’s owner attempted to revive the project, but city officials said that the zoning had expired and might have to be reapproved. The development had been approved as a B3-3 “Type 1” project, meaning that only the 31-unit plan could be built and nothing else — unless an additional zoning change were sought.

At the time city policy called for the construction of Type 1 projects to be started within approximately two years of the zoning approval. If not, the existing zoning could be determined no longer valid.
A city Department of Planning and Development spokesperson said this month that the zoning staff is looking into the status of the property and determining whether any construction plans of the site would require the approval of a zoning change. Normally a B3-3 designation allows for a wide use of commercial and, on the upper floors, residential uses.

The listing agent for the property could not be reached for comment, but Alderman James Gardiner (45th) said that no potential commercial tenants for the property have reached out to him in recent months.

The sign states that the site is “ideal for compact drive-thru, quick-service restaurant or drive-thru PAD (freestanding structure),” offering “outstanding visibility” in a transit-oriented district.

Any type of drive-through facility would require the issuance of a special use from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The targeted site is located outside of the commercial district’s pedestrian-street designation, which prohibits new drive-through facilities.

The sign also states that any project could be “build to suit” the tenant’s needs, which usually requires a longterm lease agreement.

Edward Fox Photography and Ernest Myer Interiors were once located on the site. A portion of the foundation for the former upholstery shop is still visible.

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