A developer has landed permits to build five single-family homes on a stretch of North Oakley Avenue in North Center where a table pad manufacturer once operated for decades. G Corp, doing business as Oakley Collection LLC, received five new construction permits on September 14 and 15, 2026, for lots spanning 3000 through 3010 North Oakley Avenue, according to permit applications with start dates ranging from June 30 through July 22.
The project follows Chicago's City Council formally approving a zoning change for the properties, reclassifying the 15,625-square-foot site from M1-2 Limited Manufacturing/Business Park District to RT-3.5 Residential Two-Flat, Townhouse, Multi-Unit District, as reported by Chicago YIMBY. Chicago YIMBY reported that City Council approved the zoning change in April. City filings identify the ordinance as O2026-0024768 and show a recommendation from the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks & Building Standards on May 19, 2026, according to the Chicago City Clerk. The City of Chicago City Council Journal contains materials related to the rezoning.
A 1937 Factory Makes Way for New Construction
The site included the former Superior Table Pad building, and the company made custom table pads, according to reporting from WBEZ and Kartemquin Films. A demolition permit allowed the razing of the former Superior Table Pad building on July 27, 2026, at 3010 North Oakley Avenue, with the demolition work assigned to Carlos Group at a reported cost of $20,000, per the same permit filings cited by Chicago YIMBY. The article does not confirm whether that demolition work has since been completed.
G Corp will serve as general contractor for the five new homes, each carrying a reported construction cost of $721,350. Every permit calls for a two-story-plus-basement frame construction home, complete with a detached two-car frame garage topped by a rooftop deck and pergola. G Corp is working from plans drawn up by 360 Design Studio, and the homes may be offered for sale under the name The Oakley Collection, though it remains unconfirmed whether they will be erected in phases rather than all at once.
Zoning Shift Reflects a Wider North Side Pattern
The 3000 block of North Oakley Avenue sits within Chicago's 32nd Ward, represented by Alderman Scott Waguespack. The project totals five homes, while the City of Chicago Department of Housing's Affordable Requirements Ordinance page describes which developments are subject to the ordinance without establishing whether these residences are exempt or market-rate.
The rezoning changed the properties from M1-2 to RT-3.5, as reflected by PropertyZoned and the Chicago Municipal Code. The supplied sources do not establish whether this is the first such conversion on the block.
North Side Home Prices Keep Climbing
The project is discussed in the context of the North Side housing market. In North Center specifically, the article also discusses home prices.
The Oakley Avenue project also fits into a broader wave of industrial-to-residential redevelopment along North Center's old manufacturing corridors. In a connected rezoning nearby, the $43 million RiverWard development on West Oakdale and North Oakley avenues was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in August 2026 for a 14-townhome expansion, but the proposal still required approval from the City Council Committee on Zoning and the full City Council, part of a growing trend of former light industrial land along the Chicago River corridor being repurposed for housing.
Beyond the housing itself, the site offers transit access for future residents. The Chicago Transit Authority provides nearby bus service via Route 77 at West Belmont Avenue, as well as Routes 49 and X49 along North Western Avenue, though the homes do not have convenient rail access directly from the site, according to Chicago YIMBY's reporting.
