A parcel on South Desplaines Street that has sat empty since at least 2007 is finally getting built on, after the City of Chicago approved construction of a three-story building with three residential units at 2012 South Desplaines Street in the Lower West Side. The project calls for a duplex-down unit spanning the first floor and basement, a simplex unit on the second level, and another simplex unit on the third floor, complete with a composite wood roof deck.
According to Chicago YIMBY, the permit carries a reported construction cost of $600,000 and was first submitted to the Chicago Data Portal on December 8, 2025, before finally clearing municipal review more than eight months later. Lukaven Development LLC is serving as developer and general contractor, while Thomas Budzik of Thomas Architects, based in Des Plaines, is the architect of record. The building will rise with a basement level and three floors above ground, and the rear of all three units will feature steel decks connected by a steel stairway.
A Roof Deck and EV-Ready Parking Round Out the Design
The third-floor unit's roof deck will include a stair enclosure and a 42-inch parapet wall around its perimeter, per the same account. At the back of the lot, a surface parking lot will hold three EV-ready stalls — a feature required for newly built small residential buildings with dedicated parking under the Illinois Electric Vehicle Charging Act, which took effect in January 2024 alongside 2023 Chicago Zoning Ordinance amendments, as explained by Clark Hill.
Because the development totals only three units, it falls well below the 10-unit threshold that triggers Chicago's Affordable Requirements Ordinance, meaning the developer is not required to set aside income-restricted units or pay an off-site fee, according to Illinois Policy. The developer is also seeking zoning relief to reduce the minimum lot area required per dwelling unit, a request that requires Zoning Board of Appeals approval showing that strict adherence to standard zoning rules would create a practical difficulty or particular hardship, per the city's own zoning board guidance. It remains an open question whether that variance has been finalized, and the target market — condominium sales or rental units — for the duplex and simplex units has not been disclosed.
Transit Access and a Nearby Expressway
The site sits within a two-block walk of CTA bus service, with Route 21 running along West Cermak Road and connecting to both the Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line stop and the Cermak-Chinatown Red Line stop, the report notes. Route 8 also stops along South Halsted Street, which lies to the west of the property, with the Dan Ryan Expressway situated between Desplaines and Halsted. Chicago's 2022 Connected Communities Ordinance allows residential projects near transit corridors like these to qualify for density bonuses and reduced off-street parking requirements, according to Chicago Cityscape.
The surrounding blocks carry some of the city's oldest housing stock, with structures on the 1900 and 2000 blocks of South Desplaines Street dating as far back as 1894. Recent nearby home sales have ranged from $285,000 to more than $700,000, based on records reviewed by Realtor.com, underscoring how the new three-flat compares against a century-old streetscape.
Part of a Larger Pattern in Pilsen
Lukaven Development and Thomas Architects have built a recurring track record in the neighborhood. In May 2026, the pair secured a $600,000 permit to demolish a frame home and build two duplex units at 1936 South May Street, following a $520,000 two-unit project permitted that February at 2130 South May Street. The team has also pushed into larger territory, proposing a five-story, 20-unit mixed-use building at 3007 West Irving Park Road and winning City Council approval in October 2025 for a nine-unit development at 3122 West Belmont Avenue in Avondale, according to Urbanize Chicago.
Lukaven's roots trace back to luxury custom home construction in North Shore suburbs including Wilmette, Glenview, and Highland Park, before the firm expanded into urban multi-family infill in neighborhoods like West Town and Pilsen, per Redfin. The Desplaines Street project also fits a broader wave of investment converting long-vacant parcels across East Pilsen, following a $1,000,000 full construction permit issued in August 2025 for another multi-unit residential project two blocks east at 1931 South Jefferson Street.
