Developer Behind 4 Projects and Nearly 1,000 New Apartments in West Loop

While Fulton Market remains a hot target for developers, one developer is credited with nearly 1,000 expected new apartments on the western edge of the West Loop. Darren Sloniger splits his time between being a minister in Elgin and helping transform the landscape of a part of Chicago he refers to as Fulton West.

As a partner at Marquette Cos. In Naperville, Sloniger is helping to develop the area with four new apartment buildings. The first one opened on Ada Street in 2019.

The Mason contains around 260-apartments. Last spring, Sloniger’s firm opened Parq Fulton at the corner of Ogden Avenue and Randolph Street in Fulton Market.

The final apartment project is expected to open late next year on Ashland Avenue. When all is said and done, it’s expected the four buildings will total nearly 1,000 new apartments.

The area also plans for several restaurants and a 49-room hotel. Marquette uses mostly new construction, but also reuses some existing buildings. The new development is pushing the Fulton Market neighborhood to the west, and possibly paving the way for even more redevelopment in the area.

The sites used in the project were all institutional or industrial. Future development, however, could go a bit farther south and west and potentially transform some empty space close to the United Center.