A former industrial holdout on a Lakeview block is on track to turn into nearly 100 new apartments. A zoning application filed Monday calls for replacing the old Torstenson Glass property at 3233 N. Sheffield with a five-story residential building containing 99 units. The plans list four studios, 46 one-bedrooms, and 49 two-bedrooms, along with 25 parking spaces for cars, room for 87 bicycles, and 15 on-site affordable apartments to satisfy the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance.
Plan details
The development team, led by North Park Ventures and SNS Realty Group with design work by 2RZ Architecture, is pitching a primarily residential building with a central lobby and ground-floor street-facing units, according to Chicago YIMBY. Planned amenities include a club room, fitness room, and dedicated bike room. The ground-floor layout shows apartments that front Sheffield, while parking would be tucked behind the building and accessed from the rear alley.
From Torstenson Glass to new units
Torstenson Glass, which operated on the Sheffield site for more than a century, relocated its operations to Morton Grove in late 2024, the company notes on its Torstenson Glass website. Earlier coverage described a 92-unit concept for the property, but the zoning application filed Monday bumps the plan up to 99 apartments, Urbanize Chicago reported.
Rezoning and affordable requirement
To make the larger building possible, the development team is asking the city to rezone the parcels from B3-2 to B3-5, a shift that would allow higher residential density with fewer commercial requirements, according to The Real Deal. Because the proposal seeks a zoning change and is far above the 10-unit threshold, it triggers the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance. The filing lists 15 affordable units on site, and the city's ARO web form details how those obligations are calculated and monitored, per the City of Chicago.
Community reaction and next steps
Neighborhood leaders say they are torn between welcoming fresh rental supply and worrying about the building's scale and the lack of ground-floor retail, residents and community representatives told Block Club Chicago. "We’re glad we have that plan to guide us moving forward," Ald. Bennett Lawson told Block Club, referring to the neighborhood planning framework that will influence how this stretch of Sheffield evolves. The developers did not immediately respond to interview requests, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Legal and zoning process
Under city procedures, rezoning petitions are filed with the Zoning Administrator, then, once deemed complete, are transmitted to the City Clerk and slotted for committee and full City Council consideration as a zoning map amendment. Projects that trigger the ARO must either provide affordable units on site or follow one of the compliance options spelled out by the city. The full rules that will guide the review of 3233 N. Sheffield are laid out in the Chicago Municipal Code and on the City of Chicago ARO portal.
