A long-vacant one-story storefront at 7644 N. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park may finally be on its way out, with a five-story, 44-unit affordable housing building now on the table. Developer 5T Development Partners is pitching a compact project that would stack apartments above street-facing retail, add a rooftop deck, and tuck a small triangular playground into the middle of the block. If the plan clears city funding hurdles and required reviews, the team is aiming for residents to move in around 2028.
Design and site
Working with an awkwardly wedge-shaped lot, SEEK Design + Architecture proposes a V-shaped building that pulls back portions of its upper floors to keep the structure from feeling too bulky, according to SEEK Design + Architecture. Along Rogers Avenue, the firm has sketched out a serrated facade that angles apartments toward Lake Michigan and tops the building with a rooftop amenity space for residents.
On the ground level, the plan calls for about 1,700 square feet of retail and community-serving space along Sheridan Road, intended to keep the sidewalk active rather than dropping a blank wall at the corner.
Unit mix and amenities
According to Urbanize Chicago, the proposal packs in 44 affordable apartments: four one-bedrooms, 28 two-bedrooms, and 12 three-bedrooms. Affordability levels would be split as three units at 30% of area median income (AMI), 24 at 60% AMI, and 17 at 80% AMI.
Residents would share common laundry rooms on each floor and have access to the rooftop deck. A management office and community room are planned to front Rogers Avenue so on-site services and programming are visible and accessible rather than tucked away in the back.
Parking, retail and bikes
The design tucks 13 car parking stalls into a long, narrow panhandle stretching to the alley and sets aside space for roughly 60 bicycles in an indoor bike room, per SEEK Design + Architecture. The property, at the northwest corner of Rogers Avenue and Sheridan Road, sits in a B3-5 zoning district, and the proposal complies with existing zoning, according to records compiled by Chicago Cityscape.
A small, triangular outdoor play area is shown in the center of the block, intended to preserve some open space for families who move into the larger units.
Funding and approvals timeline
Per Urbanize Chicago, the roughly $21 million project would lean on the City of Chicago's affordable housing program and low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) to make the numbers work. The developer has said it does not plan to use HUD or Chicago Housing Authority vouchers.
The proposal has already been cleared to move into Phase 2 of the city's competitive funding process. A Phase 2 application is due January 9, 2026, and a city funding decision is expected by the end of March 2026. Because the property is close to Lake Michigan, the project also needs a Lakefront Protection Ordinance review through the Chicago Plan Commission. The rules for that review are set out in Chapter 16-4 of the municipal code as published by American Legal Publishing.
How this fits on Sheridan Road
Sheridan Road has been busy with development pitches, and this is not the only sizable residential plan stirring conversation in the neighborhood. Other proposals nearby have already gone through rounds of public feedback and design tweaks, as Block Club Chicago reported. That recent history suggests neighbors will keep a close eye on both the lakefront review and the city funding decision as this project inches forward.
Regulatory notes
Under the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, the Chicago Plan Commission's review involves public hearings and a written report from the Department of Planning before the commission issues a determination. Once that determination is made, it becomes a final, binding order under the municipal code.
If the development team secures Phase 2 funding and clears the Lakefront Protection review, their schedule calls for a closing in the first quarter of 2027, followed by about 18 months of construction that would target an opening sometime in 2028.
Next steps include a planned Lakefront Protection submission in January 2026 and the city’s funding determination in early 2026. If those pieces fall into place, demolition of the existing structure, building permits, and site work would follow. Upcoming hearing dates and funding decisions will be posted through public filings and Plan Commission agendas as the project works its way through City Hall.
