Halsted Pointe’s first tower just got its big break into the Chicago skyline. A tower-crane permit has been issued for Phase 1, putting Onni Group’s 46-story mixed-use building a step closer to rising on the southern tip of Goose Island. On the ground, crews are already drilling caissons and pouring foundations on the former Greyhound bus depot site, and this latest permit is what lets the project move from below-grade work into full above-grade construction.
Permit records show the city has authorized a free-standing Liebherr 420 EC-H 16 tower crane and list ONNI CONTRACTING (CHICAGO) INC as the contact, with tracking number 101082961. The record, approved May 1 and issued May 12, 2026, carries an estimated permit cost of about $30,000, according to Sinra.ai.
As reported by Urbanize Chicago, the tower-crane permit lets Onni Contracting install the crane ahead of full vertical construction. A complete building permit for the first tower has already been filed and is awaiting issuance. Urbanize Chicago also notes that a foundation and partial superstructure permit for the lower levels was issued in November 2025.
Chicago YIMBY documented work kicking off in late April, with caisson rigs, concrete trucks, and a smaller crane already active behind the construction fence. That activity confirms that foundation and sub-grade work is underway, following demolition permits issued earlier in the lead-up to the project.
What the first tower will include
The Phase 1 tower is designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. According to Urbanize Chicago, the building will rise 46 stories and contain about 464 apartments, with balconies on every unit for those Goose Island views.
The podium is planned to bring roughly 13,300 square feet of Halsted-facing retail, plus a 5,600-square-foot storefront on the official first floor. Plans also call for about 209 parking spaces and a sixth-floor amenity suite that opens to an outdoor deck and pool, giving residents a mid-tower hangout spot above the street.
How does this fit into Onni's plan
Phase 1 is only the opening move in a much larger Halsted Pointe masterplan. In total, the build-out envisions multiple towers with up to 2,650 residential units, along with additional retail, a hotel, and roughly 1,470 parking spaces across the site, according to earlier reporting by Chicago YIMBY.
The development sits just north of the Bally’s casino complex and has already secured partial financing for the initial phase, positioning the project as a major new cluster of activity along this stretch of the river.
What comes next
With the tower-crane permit secured, Onni can set the crane and move into full vertical construction as soon as the complete building permit is issued. Phase 1 has been estimated to take roughly 24 months once above-grade work begins, according to local construction coverage from Chicago Construction News, although the final delivery timeline will still hinge on permit pickup, crane erection scheduling, and supply-chain conditions.
