A vacant lot and a modest home in Avondale are now slated to become a six-unit residential building, after the project spent nearly two years stuck in Chicago’s permit pipeline. The $2.6 million proposal calls for a three-story building with a basement, six front decks and rear parking.
The construction permit was issued July 2 after remaining in the Chicago Data Portal for 609 days, according to Chicago YIMBY. Oak Lawn-based Peegan Development Inc. is listed as the developer and general contractor, while Robert Lizzo is the architect of record.
Plans include six surface parking spaces at the rear, accessed from the alley near West Wellington and North Campbell avenues, along with an open rear stairway and proposed excavation. The Real Deal identified the project as Chicago’s largest new-construction permit approval in its weekly roundup and listed Davis Peera as the owner.
Demolition Comes Before The New Residential Building
The project spans two lots in the 2900 block of North Elston Avenue: one vacant parcel and one occupied by a 1.5-story residential building. That existing structure, which was purchased by Peegan Development in February 2025, is expected to be demolished, although Chicago YIMBY noted that pending demolition permits are no longer searchable in the city’s application-status database.
The site’s transit profile is more bus-oriented than rail-oriented. The Chicago Transit Authority lists Route 76 stops at Diversey and Western/Elston, while Route 49 Western provides north-south service along Western Avenue.
For now, the permit is the project’s biggest milestone, not a move-in announcement. Demolition, excavation and construction still stand between the existing low-rise site and the six new homes planned for this stretch of Avondale.
