Lola’s Coney Island, the Detroit-style hot dog joint on the northeast corner of West Chicago and North Francisco in Humboldt Park, looks set to vanish from the block after city permits cleared the way for demolition and a four-story building in its place. Regulars can still track down the crew at a food truck for now. The shakeup continues a recent run of small-scale infill projects along this stretch of Chicago Avenue.
Permits spell out demolition and replacement
A demolition permit issued on December 3, 2025, is assigned to 2858 W. Chicago Avenue and names B&K Concrete 1 as the demo contractor, with a reported cost of $10,950. A separate new-construction application for 2854 W. Chicago Avenue, filed July 9, 2025, calls for a four-story mixed-use building with 15 residential units, balconies on the three upper floors, ground-floor retail, and a slab parking pad for six cars. A linked renovation permit would add a third floor and two dwelling units at 2854. Permits list Eco Development I Inc. as the developer and Hanna Architects as architect of record, and the reporting notes the existing Lola’s building “might already be gone,” as reported by Chicago YIMBY.
A neighborhood mainstay shutters its storefront
Lola’s first opened in 2019 when owner Jesse Fakhoury brought Detroit-style coney dogs to the block, as reported by Block Club Chicago. Local business directories now mark the storefront as permanently closed, with MapQuest listing the address that way.
What developers are planning at the corner
The permit filings indicate the applicant is consolidating activity at the two parcels, with Eco Development I Inc. listed at 2854 and the company named as general contractor for both the renovation and the new construction. The planned four-story replacement would bring 15 apartments above ground-floor retail and a small surface parking slab, a scale of project that has become common for mid-block redevelopment in parts of West Humboldt Park. The permit details and site notes were reviewed by Chicago YIMBY.
How does this fit into a changing Humboldt Park
Not all new projects in the neighborhood look the same. Some recent efforts have focused on affordable units and community uses, while other permits are market-driven infill that replaces small storefronts. Block Club Chicago has chronicled nearby modular-home builds and community-center proposals that point to a patchwork of public and private projects reshaping the area, from affordable-housing pilots to new private developments. For neighbors who prize corner businesses, the loss of one more storefront can feel cumulative even when new housing shows up.
There is no public timeline yet for construction to start. Permits suggest demolition is authorized, and the block could change quickly. We will be watching permit filings and local coverage for updates as work moves forward.
