The long-vacant Rogers Park corner where Leona’s once packed in diners is finally headed for a new chapter. Chicago aldermen this week cleared a five-story, 80-unit mixed-use building at 6929 N. Sheridan, trading the shuttered restaurant space for ground-floor retail and new apartments designed by MC & Associates for developer Chicago Equity Partners. After years of proposals and neighbor pushback over height and parking, the council vote nudges the project toward final city approvals.
According to Urbanize Chicago, the approved plan calls for a roughly 55-foot-tall building with about 3,600 square feet of street-level retail. Inside, there will be space for around 80 bicycles in an interior bike room and 16 car parking spaces accessed from the alley. The upper floors stack 18 apartments per typical level for a total of 80 units, with a planned mix of about 44 one-bedrooms, 28 two-bedrooms and eight three-bedrooms. The developer will also lean on a surface lot behind 1156 W. Farwell Ave. to provide another 25 parking stalls for residents, Urbanize reports.
Ald. Maria Hadden backed a scaled-back version of the building after community feedback, according to Block Club Chicago. The outlet reports that developers first floated a six-story, 81-unit plan, then trimmed the height and tweaked the unit mix after a ward survey showed neighbors were split. Block Club also notes that 16 apartments are being reserved to meet the city’s affordability rules under the Affordable Requirements Ordinance.
What Still Needs Sign-off
With City Council approval, the site will be rezoned from B3-1 to B2-5, but the development is not entirely in the clear yet. The project still needs a Lakefront Protection Ordinance sign-off from the Chicago Plan Commission before any permits can be issued, Urbanize Chicago reports. Urbanize adds that the development team has not released a construction timeline. Because the property sits near Lake Michigan, the Plan Commission review triggers its own public notice and hearing process.
Why Residents Are Watching
Neighbors have been especially tuned in to two issues: family-sized units and parking along Sheridan. In response, the revised plan added three-bedroom apartments and kept a tight grip on on-site parking, Block Club Chicago reports. The project’s set-aside of 16 affordable units flows from the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance, which kicks in when projects seek certain zoning changes.
The city’s ARO guidance explains how rezoning-triggered developments typically meet those affordability rules, either through on-site units or fees in lieu, depending on the zoning and project details. City of Chicago guidance lays out those options for both developers and the public.
Until the Plan Commission takes up the Lakefront Protection application, there is no firm schedule for construction or move-in dates, and the project team has not said when they expect to break ground, according to Urbanize. If it advances, the development would turn a long-empty corner of Sheridan back into active retail and housing with 80 new apartments, capping a years-long neighborhood debate over what should replace Leona’s.
