Chicago Real Estate News & Neighborhood Notes

The site of a proposed 12-story condo building in River North could instead be transformed into a five-story hotel. The long-vacant site was once home to a film processing company.

That building was torn down two years ago with grand plans for luxury condos. Now it seems plans have changed once again for 61 W Erie.

The property owner recently announced plans for an apartment-style hotel, complete with retail space. The revised plan for the site complies with existing zoning, meaning the city does not need to grant its approval.

As of now, the building calls for a boutique hotel with just 29 hotel suites. Reportedly those hotel suites will look less like a traditional downtown hotel and more like upscale apartments.

The proposed hotel operator is Sonder.

A new Chicago ordinance could make it more difficult for developers to push ahead with plans for condo-to-rental deconversion projects, according to reports. The City Council recently approved legislation that requires a larger percentage of condo owners to approve the sale of a condo building to developers.

Previously it took 75-percent of condo association members to approve selling every unit of a building in bulk. The new number stands at 85-percent of condo association members.

City leaders behind the new legislation say it gives homeowners who want to stay in their building more clout. They say past condo deconversion projects have led to the displacement of long-term condo owners who didn’t want to sell.

The new law comes as deconversion projects

Because Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood is so saturated with high-rise residential buildings, it’s not uncommon for some highly-desirable locations to sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Whether it’s a lack of inventory for an extended period of time or perhaps new construction developments hogging all the headlines, overlooking a particular address is much easier to do than you might think.

Despite being one of our favorite Streeterville condo buildings for a multitude of reasons, one such building that’s easy to miss happens to be situated over at 160 E. Illinois—a location that puts residents just off the Chicago River and famed Magnificent Mile.

Built back in 2007 and home to 130 individual condo residences, 160 E. Illinois, also called Avenue

Wondering where to find a classic and elegant co-op style apartment in Chicago? We've identified several co-ops in the Gold Coast buyers should consider right now.

1242 N. Lake Shore

With amenities including a fitness center, doorman and some private balconies, 1242 N Lake Shore is easily one of the top choices for buyers. Current options in the Gold Coast building range from a two-bedroom unit to a sweeping four-bedroom unit with more than 2,700 square feet of living space.

70 E. Cedar

Another top building sits at 70 E Cedar. This 1920s-era building has several units currently on the market, including a two-bedroom with 1,200 square feet of living space, on up to a four-bedroom with well more than twice the amount of space.

1320 N. State

It’s not very often lofts at 300 W. Grand hit the open market, and when you see inside this amazing River North loft conversion, you might just understand why. Also known as the West Grand Lofts, units inside this downtown gem offer all the classic loft features home buyers want like high timber ceiling, tons of exposed brick, roomy open layouts, and even private balcony space—which isn’t always easy to find attached to an authentic loft located in the heart of the Windy City.

What also makes 300 W. Grand unique are the options that are found within. On one hand, you might find a spacious 1-bed, 1-bath loft at a relatively affordable price, while on the other hand, the penthouse loft unit here is a magnificent 4-bed, 2.5 bath with all the space and

A proposal to build a 39-story apartment building, replacing the Barnes & Noble bookstore, has been abruptly withdrawn. The architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz, proposed the development which would have contained 368 rental units, a rooftop deck with pool, and 19,000 sq. ft. of commercial space.

A public meeting was held on April 11th in which neighbors voiced concerns that the structure was too tall, did not blend into neighborhood well, would block views and create parking complications. 

Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward Alderman, appears to agree with these concerns and has officially nixed the project. Another proposal made by Newcastle, slated for the northwest corner of State and Division is currently under review.

Their proposal is for an

Looking for new construction in one of Chicago's hottest neighborhoods right now? If so, these new condo developments are all worth a closer look...

2136 West Lyndale Street 

Get ahead of the competition with a new construction condo at 2136 West Lyndale Street. The property offers contemporary style points, including open living space and high ceilings. You’ll also find large front decks, spa-like baths and SmartHome technology included with the new condos of this building.

2913 West Lyndale Street

Additional luxury new condo options exist at 2913 West Lyndale. The contemporary property offers up the advantage of private decks and hardwood floors, along with plenty of high-end luxuries and a location that’s just a short distance away from

City Club Apartments has presented an initial proposal to redevelop a vacant Lake View parcel at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Waveland Avenue.  

The proposal, according to reports, calls for 2 structures; a 5-story, 66-foot residential-use tower at the south end of the site, and a 19-story, 206-foot mixed-use tower to the north. The lot is one of Chicago’s few undeveloped lakefront sites, as has been a subject of speculation for some time.

Tressa Feher, Alderman Cappleman’s chief of staff, stated that the project is still a work-in-progress and specific details like height, design, and total unit count, are subject to change. According to Feher, “There are still legal ingress and egress issues and other easements that need to be worked out,

West Town is one of the hottest neighborhoods in town right now and new construction opportunities are moving quickly. But if you're planning to be in the market for a new construction condo in West Town later this year, here's a closer look at several boutique projects that won't disappoint... 

2721 W. Haddon Ave.

With only a half-dozen units to choose from, the stylish new condos of 2721 W Haddon Ave are certainly worth another look. The open floor plans are complimented by large floor to ceiling windows and quartz countertops, plus a location that’s just a stroll away from the park, the beach, walking trails and more. 

815 N. Paulina 

Just steps from everything you want in West Town, 815 N Paulina offers stylish condos, some of which come

Uber is expanding in Chicago, this time gearing up for a move into a massive amount of rental space inside Chicago’s Old Post Office. The rideshare company reportedly signed a lease for 450,000 square feet of space in the building.

That makes it the building’s largest tenant by far. Until recently, Walgreens held the largest lease with 200,000 square feet of space.

Construction is slated to begin next spring on the new Uber offices. According to reports, the space will help accommodate thousands of Uber employees. Several months ago, Uber acknowledged it was looking for a larger space to consolidate its Uber Freight workers with employees from Uber Eats and Uber Ride.

While the company started with just 5,000 square feet five years ago, it quickly grew