A one-story building that's housed the Connoisseur Oriental Rugs store on Chicago Avenue could soon give way to an eight-story, 111-unit apartment building. The developer behind the project, CityPads, submitted a zoning analysis application for the site at 1000 Chicago Ave. and is now awaiting initial feedback from the city before moving forward with a formal application.
The proposal, first reported by Evanston Now, calls for demolishing the existing commercial building and replacing it with a mid-rise residential tower in Evanston's 3rd Ward. Seventeen of the 111 apartments, or 15% of the total, would be set aside as affordable units for households earning up to 60% of area median income, with 16 parking spaces included in the plan.
Affordable Units Tied to City Housing Rules
The affordable set-aside would come as CityPads complies with Evanston's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, according to the same report. The city's current ordinance, adopted Feb. 10, 2025 and effective since April 1, 2025, covers any development with seven or more dwelling units and requires developers to either provide units for low- and moderate-income households or contribute to the city's Affordable Housing Fund, according to the City of Evanston. In exchange, the city offers incentives such as waived or deferred building-permit fees, zoning bonuses and reduced parking requirements.
CityPads hopes to begin the formal zoning process within the next few weeks, per the report. Shawn Iles, Evanston's 3rd Ward alderman, said the project could bring more residents and vitality to the Main-Dempster Mile while supporting nearby businesses, the station's report notes.
A Growing Footprint Along the Corridor
This wouldn't be CityPads' first project in the area. The developer helped build the 120-unit Tapestry Station apartments at 740 Main St., which opened in 2024 and included 17 affordable units under the same inclusionary ordinance, according to the Evanston RoundTable. That building was later sold to Chicago-based TLC Management for $38 million. CityPads had described Tapestry Station as the culmination of a transit-oriented vision for the Main-Dempster Mile, per The Real Deal.
CityPads is also in the middle of a larger build at 910-938 Custer Ave. in Evanston's 4th Ward, a 230-unit project that will include 23 inclusionary housing units. That project was approved by the Evanston Land Use Commission and City Council in November 2024, and as of mid-August this year, construction was well underway, with elevator shafts appearing complete and at least two floors of walls already up, the station's report notes. CityPads has said it's aiming to finish that building by summer 2027.
Context From the Corridor Plan
The push to redevelop low-rise commercial sites along Chicago Avenue isn't new. A city corridor plan recommended encouraging redevelopment there to boost the city's tax base and improve pedestrian safety and walkability near mass transit, according to the City of Evanston's planning division.
CityPads has pursued other multi-building proposals elsewhere in Evanston, including a plan for the vacant lot at 801-808 Main St. Descriptions of that project have varied: an earlier report described a five-story, 64-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail plus 15 townhomes, while a later city project listing described 88 new multifamily units broken down as 72 rental units, six for-sale multifamily units and 10 for-sale townhome units. The city has said that project would require Planned Development approval, a public hearing before the Land Use Commission and a final vote by the City Council.
For the Chicago Avenue proposal, Iles has said he met with CityPads a few months before the plan became public to discuss preliminary ideas, and he intends to host community meetings for resident feedback once the proposal advances through the city's zoning process. CityPads has said it hopes the project will be as well received as its other Evanston developments.
