Soul City Church wants to get bigger, but neighbors say the West Loop has already heard enough. A proposed four-story addition is drawing pushback from residents who describe years of pounding bass, shaking walls and early Sunday morning noise tied to church services.
The expansion would add a 1,500-seat auditorium, children’s classrooms, community space and offices as Soul City looks to accommodate a congregation that church leaders say draws roughly 2,200 people on Sundays. But as Block Club Chicago reported, nearby residents are also worried about traffic, parking, demolition debris and construction activity.
The proposed addition would reshape the church campus
Soul City is seeking a zoning change that would allow the new building, which is planned to include a main-level auditorium with 1,000 seats and a 500-seat balcony. The project team says the auditorium would use masonry walls, thick concrete slabs and interior acoustic walls intended to limit music, bass and vibrations.
According to a 34th Ward newsletter, the requested zoning change would make the property’s zoning uniform and permit the multi-function addition, including a prayer hall, meeting rooms and church offices. The plan would add 17 on-site parking spaces, while the church says it has agreements giving it access to about 266 spaces in nearby lots.
Neighbors want proof the sound problem will not return
Residents say the church’s current services have created disruptive weekend noise for years, with one neighbor telling Block Club Chicago that he has been woken early on Sunday mornings. Neighbors spent $4,500 on an acoustic analysis in 2022 and are now asking the church to commit to sensors that would track decibel levels and vibrations.
The proposed design may solve some of the concerns, but residents say the church’s plans to move its youth ministry into the existing auditorium could still send sound into nearby homes. The church’s senior pastor, Jeanne Stevens, declined to commit to sound monitoring while saying Soul City would continue working with the community.
Feedback window remains open through August 12
The zoning decision will ultimately land with Ald. Bill Conway, who said he will weigh whether the project would be a net positive or net negative for the community. His office is collecting feedback through August 12, giving residents another chance to raise concerns about parking, alley access, student safety at the school across Racine Avenue and possible sidewalk closures.
Soul City hopes to finish construction by Easter 2028, though the project still has to clear the city’s zoning process and move through construction approvals. The church’s own history page says it purchased the neighboring property in September 2025 as part of an expansion intended to serve a growing West Loop congregation, making the current fight less about whether the church wants to grow than how much of that growth the surrounding blocks can absorb.
