A long-gestating redevelopment along N. Western Ave in Lincoln Square has cleared its final major hurdle, with the city issuing a full building permit for a six-story, 73-unit building that will rise between the CTA Western Brown Line tracks and W. Eastwood Ave. The project, designed by Hirsch MPG and general-contracted by Macon Construction Group, is expected to break ground in September 2026, per the developer's LinkedIn post. Two existing buildings on the site have already been demolished to make way for construction.
According to Urbanize Chicago, the mixed-use building will stand 91 feet tall and incorporate a third building adjacent to the CTA tracks, folding an existing four-story section into the new six-story structure. The permit lists the address as 2406 W. Eastwood, and the unit mix breaks down to 8 studios, 27 one-bedroom units, and 38 two-bedroom apartments. Fifteen of those units will be designated affordable under the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance, the outlet reports.
Design Details and Ground-Floor Retail
The building's exterior features a consistent stone base wrapping the ground floor, a brick facade above it, two-tone brick treatment, masonry stone detailing, and larger windows with multiple insets breaking up the building's face, per the same account. Ground-floor space includes two live/work units facing N. Western, another live/work unit facing W. Eastwood Ave, and a two-bedroom unit tucked behind the live/work spaces that faces the area underneath the CTA tracks. The retail component measures 3,900 square feet, and the residential lobby fronts W. Eastwood Ave, while a sixth-floor corner space seen in earlier plans was ultimately removed from the design.
Residents will have access to a shared rooftop deck, an amenity room, and a dog run. The development will provide 74 bike parking spaces along with a bike maintenance space that the developer added at community request, the outlet notes. Parking for cars is limited to 10 spaces along the alley, reflecting the site's transit-oriented location. The project will also include EV charging, electric appliances in all units, a high-efficiency MEP system, and compliance with the city's new energy code.
A Site With a Long Permitting History
The path to a full building permit took years. Macon Construction Group President Matt Wilbur significantly expanded an earlier 2021 proposal from Glascott Associates in early 2023, boosting the residential yield from 23 units across five stories to the current 73–74 units across six stories, according to The Real Deal. That July, the Chicago City Council approved a zoning reclassification for the parcels at 4632–4644 N. Western from B3-2 and B3-3 to B3-5, per the City of Chicago Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, clearing the way for the higher-density footprint. The city's Zoning Board of Appeals followed in November 2023 by granting a zero-foot rear yard setback and waiving the standard off-street commercial loading berth requirement, addressing the tight lot constraints created by the site's proximity to the elevated tracks.
From there, the project moved through a multi-year sequence of site-prep permits: a demolition permit in July 2024 to clear two smaller adjacent structures, and a caisson permit in May 2025 to authorize deep foundation work ahead of full architectural review, as detailed by Urbanize Chicago. The total construction cost has been estimated at $26.7 million, covering both the new six-story build and the rehabilitation of the existing four-story section, according to Chicago YIMBY.
Fitting Into Lincoln Square's Broader Housing Push
The project's affordable units and transit amenities weren't incidental. Alderman Matt Martin of the 47th Ward endorsed the zoning change back in 2023, framing the added 74 apartments as aligned with goals laid out in the 2019 Lincoln Square Master Plan and the Western Avenue Corridor Study, according to his office. That corridor-wide push has since expanded: in July 2024, Martin and 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez introduced a proactive rezoning initiative along Western Avenue aimed at converting low-density commercial parcels into transit-oriented housing, following an 18-month, multi-ward corridor study, per the 40th Ward Office.
The push for affordability carries added weight locally. Lincoln Square lost 11.3 percent of its affordable rental units between 2018 and 2023, one of the fastest rates of affordable housing decline among Chicago community areas, according to Martin's office, as rising property values have fueled two-flat conversions and gentrification pressure in the neighborhood. Just a block north near the Western CTA stop, another transit-oriented project at 4715 N. Western broke ground in July 2023, delivering 63 affordable units on a former city-owned parking lot as part of a $43.35 million development, according to The Community Builders.
With the full building permit now in hand, Macon Construction Group is cleared to begin vertical construction at 4640 N. Western, with groundbreaking anticipated next month. Open questions remain around which commercial tenants will eventually fill the 3,900-square-foot retail space, and how the broader Western Avenue upzoning effort will reshape land values along the corridor in the years ahead.
