The developer behind an 82-unit apartment complex planned for downtown Edison Park is selling off half the project, listing a 0.48-acre parcel at 6754–6764 N. Northwest Highway for $3.25 million while he keeps the other building for himself. Valdir Barion's company owns the nearly one-acre site at 6750 N. Northwest Highway, where the M.J. Suerth Funeral Home once stood before it closed in 2023 and was demolished the following year. Now, after years of zoning battles and construction delays, Barion is splitting the approved two-building project in an effort to get shovels in the ground.
The northern parcel comes with B3-5 Type 1 zoning approval already in place for a four-story building with 39,460 rentable residential square feet, 3,920 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and 41 parking spaces, according to the Sotheby's International Realty listing. Barion told Block Club Chicago that he is selling the northern site after completing the zoning, entitlement, design, and permitting work needed to let construction start without further delay, while he retains the southern parcel to build the second 41-unit building later. He said his team is diligently working to get the project completed, and that he is selling one development site to help re-energize the project overall, according to the same report.
A Design Locked in Place
Whoever buys the northern parcel won't have much room to improvise. Because the site carries Type 1 zoning, any prospective buyer is legally restricted to constructing the exact approved four-story, 41-unit design unless they restart the ward's public community zoning process from scratch, Chris Vittorio, chief of staff for 41st Ward Alderman Anthony Napolitano, told Nadig Newspapers. The buyer must keep the building the same size, per the seed reporting, though the units themselves could potentially shift from apartments to condos. Barion said he remains flexible about how the sale plays out, telling the outlet he is open to selling the land outright to a developer, partnering with someone in a joint venture, or even selling the building once it's complete, while also planning to manage the complex himself if that arrangement doesn't materialize.
The approved plans call for amenities across the complex including a co-working space, a dog wash, a workout room, bike storage, and a rooftop deck, along with a garage holding 26 parking spots and 15 additional outdoor spaces. Ground-floor retail space is part of the approved plans, though no final decisions have been made on those tenants. Barion said he is currently in talks with an Italian restaurant, a sushi restaurant, and a breakfast restaurant about potentially filling that commercial space, according to Block Club Chicago.
How the Project Got Here
The complex looks nothing like what Barion originally pitched. His October 2023 proposal called for a single six-story, 79-foot-tall, 80-unit building, but he redesigned the project into two four-story structures and cut 40 total bedrooms after facing substantial pushback from area residents over building height and parking, according to The Real Deal. The 41st Ward Zoning Advisory Committee approved the scaled-back development in 2024, and the Chicago City Council formally passed the rezoning ordinance that August, granting final city approval for the two-building, 82-unit development, as reported by Urbanize Chicago.
Barion had planned to start construction in spring 2025, but the project ran into permitting delays. The southern building's timeline now depends on the sale of the northern property, meaning the second 41-unit structure won't move forward until Barion finds a buyer for the first. Under the approved site plan, the overall complex includes eight affordable housing units set aside for households earning approximately 60% of the Area Median Income, in compliance with the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance.
What the Neighborhood Loses and Gains
The site's location has shaped much of the debate around the project. Edison Park is an affluent, high-resource neighborhood on Chicago's far Northwest Side with a median household income exceeding $115,000, and the development sits roughly 200 feet from the Edison Park Metra station, qualifying it as a Transit-Served Development under city zoning rules that allow reduced parking minimums. Replacing the vacant funeral home with the residential complex is projected to boost annual property tax revenue generated by the site from roughly $28,000 to about $700,000, according to ward estimates reported by Bisnow, a projection Barion has cited in arguing the project will help revitalize the area.
Downtown Edison Park has seen a string of longtime businesses close in recent years. Zia's Trattoria, which had operated in the neighborhood for 25 years, moved to Norwood Park in 2021, while the Curragh Irish Pub, Que Onda, and Giordano's Pizzeria all closed in 2023 after their building owners sold. Barion separately owns the property where EP Fresh Market recently opened. Anyone interested in purchasing the northern parcel can reach Barion by email at [email protected], per Block Club Chicago's reporting.
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