Another TOD Could Pop Up Near The CTA Blue Line's Western Stop
By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 16, 2017 7:50PM
MCZ Development
You never have to wait long for news of another transit-oriented development (TOD) to land in Chicago, especially near the bustling Northwest stretch of the Blue Line. Less than two weeks after we caught wind that a parcel near the California Blue Line stop was being marketed for TOD development (right across from an existing TOD), now comes word of a developer's plan to transform a property at 1741 N. Western Ave.—a little more than a block south of the Blue Line Western station—into a five-story, 37-unit TOD.
The plan would see the existing brick building at the site demolished and replaced by a new combination of studios and one- and two-bedroom units. (The rendering above shows the proposed TOD; the image below is the existing structure.) DNA Info reports that a zoning-change request that was put forth in July is still in committee in the City Council. The office of Ald. Scott Waguespack (Ward 32) told DNA that the request is still being considered.
Density advocates often favor TODs for adding housing stock near CTA stations for non-motorists. (The development would include 30 spaces for bike parking compared to just seven for cars.) But TODs, especially between Wicker Park and Logan Square, have also been known to stir fears of gentrification among community organizations.
Still, given the property's immediate proximity to The 606, and the dramatic surge in housing prices along the rail-to-trail conversion, that might be a matter of putting the horse back in the stable. (Though efforts to counteract that trend have been put forth.) It should be noted however that the developer has indicated that the TOD would include the mandated number of affordable housing units as related to the overall unit ratio (four, in this case), rather than skip the units and pay into the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, as allowed under the city's ordinance.
1741 N Western Ave. / Google Maps