The Chicago Plan Commission voted Thursday to sign off on a 12-story mixed-use project called The Phoenix at 3611 N. Halsted in Lake View East. The plan calls for 188 apartments, with 38 of those reserved to satisfy the city’s affordable-housing rules, stacked above a one-story mini podium that will hold a split-level parking garage, mechanical space, and a small cafe. Developer David Gassman and his DLG team are partnering with Studio Dwell Architects and say they hope to start construction later in 2026 and deliver units in 2027. With the commission’s recommendation in hand, the proposal now heads to the City Council’s zoning committee for the next round of approvals.
What’s in the plan
The Phoenix is planned at roughly 12 stories and around 137 to 140 feet tall, with a unit mix of 96 studios, 56 one-bedrooms, and 36 two-bedrooms for a total of 188 apartments. At street level, the building would offer a roughly 900-square-foot commercial space intended for a cafe, plus a residential lobby along N. Halsted. The two-level podium below the housing would contain 77 vehicle parking spaces and storage for 188 bicycles. To meet the Affordable Requirements Ordinance, the developer has designated 38 apartments as affordable, according to Chicago YIMBY.
Design and public space
Studio Dwell’s design leans on red brick with cast-stone accents, inset balconies, and an arched entry that tips its hat to older Chicago apartment buildings. The residential floors step back from the podium to lessen the building’s visual bulk from the sidewalk. The development team is proposing to vacate part of the south alley to carve out a small patio for the cafe that would double as a publicly accessible pocket of open space. At the top of the building, residents would get indoor amenity space and an outdoor deck with skyline views, according to documents summarized by Urbanize Chicago.
Neighbors and bird safety
Testimony at the hearing was a mixed bag, with neighbors both backing and blasting the proposal. Some residents argued the 12-story height and the loss of part of the alley access would feel out of scale for the block. Bird-safety advocates, on the other hand, focused their comments on the building’s exterior. They praised tweaks such as picket balcony railings and dark-sky exterior lighting but pushed for stronger measures to prevent collisions. "Any untreated glass will be a deadly hazard for birds," a representative of Bird Friendly Chicago warned during testimony. Local reporting from the Plan Commission meeting captured both the concerns and the supporters’ arguments, as the Chicago Tribune reported.
What comes next
With the Plan Commission’s positive recommendation, The Phoenix now heads to the City Council’s Committee on Zoning and then to the full council. Aldermanic support, along with any conditions added by the council, will determine whether the project ultimately moves forward. The developer has pegged the cost at roughly 65 to 70 million dollars and is still aiming for a 2027 delivery if permits and financing come together on schedule, according to reporting in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Why Lake View is watching
The Phoenix is one more piece of the broader wave of mid-rise infill remaking transit-rich corridors in Lake View and across the North Side. That growth has put housing advocates and wary neighbors on opposite sides of the same table. Supporters argue that stacking more homes near transit is crucial to ease rental pressure, while critics say future approvals need to work harder to protect alleys, sightlines, and the neighborhood’s familiar character. That tug-of-war will follow this project into City Hall. Local planning coverage has tracked similar proposals across the ward and city, and Urbanize Chicago has followed this site since the project first filed for zoning.
