Townhouses considered for site of church demolished last year in Old Irving Park; PPA license sought for art studio in West Walker
by BRIAN NADIG
Possible townhouses on a former church site in Old Irving Park, a landscaping design business in Mayfair, the subdividing of a residential lot in North Mayfair and expanded uses for the Color Club Arts gallery in West Walker are among the recent development projects in the 39th Ward.
The construction of six or seven single-family homes had been planned for the former site of the Iglesia de Cristo at 4300 N. Kedvale Ave., which was demolished last year.
However, the developer is now planning to build townhouses on the 19,600-square-foot parcel, according to a spokesman for Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th).
The developer has not submitted plans for the project, including the number of units, but the townhouse complex would be constructed under the site’s existing RT-4 zoning, which is intended for multi-family construction, the spokesman said. The developer will be asked to discuss the plans with the Old Irving Park Association, he said.
The property, which is located at the northwest corner of Kedvale and Cullom avenues, sold last year for a reported $1.1 million.
Also in the ward, Kemora Landscapes is seeking to repurpose an existing one-story commercial building and adjacent parking lot at 4635 W. Lawrence Ave. into landscape design offices and a storage yard for trucks and materials. Currently on the site is Advanced Comm Inc., a wholesale cell phone equipment company.
The project requires the property to be rezoned from C1-1 to C2-1 to allow for outdoor storage.
Plans call for a seven-foot-tall fence with sliding gates to be installed around the storage yard. In addition, window awnings and flower boxes may be added.
The landscaping trucks would not be going to worksites on the weekends, according to the company.
Meanwhile, a zoning change is being sought for the proposed subdivision of a 50-foot-wide lot at 5065-67 N. Kimberly Ave.
The parcel consists of a two-flat and a swimming pool on the side yard, which under the proposal would be replaced by a single-family home, according to the alderman’s office.
The proposal requires the approximately 6,900-square-foot parcel to be rezoned from RS-3 to the less restrictive RS-3.5 to allow for both the two-flat and the new house on the property. It also requires a side-yard setback variation.
The entire east side of the block is zoned RS-3, which is intended primarily for signal-family homes and two-flats.
Also, the Color Club studio at 4146 N. Elston Ave. is seeking public place of amusement and liquor licenses. The studio offers a variety of art-focused programming, including small performances, antique shows and dance classes.
The events primarily would be held in the building’s second-floor ballroom, which also would be available for wedding rentals and other private functions, according to the proposal. The building was previously home to the Chicago Latvian Association.
The issuance of the PPA license would be contingent on approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals because the site is located within 125 feet of an RS-3 zoning district.
Under Nugent’s zoning policy, she gathers input from local community groups and then makes a decision whether to issue a letter of no objection, support or opposition.
