The first proposal, which was unveiled in October<\/a>, included 152 family-sized units spread out over a series of townhomes and two five-story apartment buildings.<\/p>\n The revised proposal brings the unit count to 105, with 40 townhomes and 65 apartments. The $60 million plan replaces the northernmost apartment building included in the first proposal with 14 three-story townhomes. It also moved the planned apartment building to the south end of the property, near Melrose Avenue, and includes 112 parking spaces, more than would be required by city code, according to the presentation at the community meeting.<\/p>\n The updated plan calls for 21 below-market units for families, in line with the city\u2019s Affordable Requirements Ordinance. That included 13 apartments for residents making between 40-80 percent of the area median income and eight townhomes for those making 50-70 percent of the area income, according to the development team.<\/p>\n Rents for the townhomes, which would have a two-car garage and three to four bedrooms, would start at $6,000, while rents for the apartments, which would vary in layout, start at $2,500-$3,000 for the market-rate units, said Rolando Acosta, zoning attorney for the development team. <\/p>\n There would be 65 garage parking spaces for the apartment building at an added cost of $150-$200 per month. <\/p>\n Density And Affordability<\/p>\n Changes were made after neighbors voiced concerns over density, traffic, parking and the property\u2019s access to nearby alleys.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s community meeting saw fewer attendees and hostilities than the first, but around 50 neighbors showed up, some of whom still had concerns over the scale and lack of affordability while others said the changes are more palatable.<\/p>\n Mark Winkelman, a real estate associate and member of the zoning committee for the Avondale Neighborhood Association, said the area could use more housing density that will fill empty lots and boost the local economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many empty lots,\u201d Winkelman said after the meeting. \u201cYou have businesses around here that don\u2019t have a lot of parking so you need people who can shop at these businesses and walk.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Natkin, who lives behind the proposed development, said he still opposes it because of its size, density and the added congestion it could bring. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you have two driveways leading right into that traffic every day, I think that\u2019s going to make it worse,\u201d Natkin said during the meeting. \u201cI just want to thank you guys for making it so that I will have no more sun in my backyard once this is built.\u201d<\/p>\n Another neighbor, who lives next to the vacant lot and who declined to share his name, said less density and parking additions are an improvement. <\/p>\n \u201cI am in support of something being built there. This is looking better than the first proposal,\u201d the neighbor said.<\/p>\n A traffic study conducted by a civil engineering company for Stocking Urban looked at traffic from 10 neighboring intersections and found that the development would not add stress to the nearby streets, assuming prospective tenants would use nearby public transportation.<\/p>\n Based on the study\u2019s findings, parking lot and garage access for the development will be available via two \u201cfull movement private drives,\u201d and drop-off and pick-up activities will be on the east side of California Avenue just north Melrose Avenue.<\/p>\n Affordability And Rentals Versus For Sale<\/p>\n Other Northwest Side community members have expressed opposition over the project for not having enough below-market units in an area that is experiencing gentrification<\/a> and displacement.<\/p>\n Members of the Belden Sawyer Tenant Association, a Logan Square tenant collective in support of more affordable housing and renters\u2019 rights, some of whom attended the meeting, issued a statement in opposition to the proposal, calling it a \u201crent farm\u201d that is a \u201cmoney grab for developers.\u201d<\/p>\n Developers and housing advocates have repeatedly said Chicago needs to increase its housing supply to create a more affordable housing landscape amid high construction costs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nick Stocking, founder of Stocking Urban, previously said<\/a> the townhomes could be for sale instead of for rent, something neighbors requested at the first meeting. But at last week\u2019s meeting, Acosta said that\u2019s no longer being considered as the rental market demand is higher than condos. Some neighbors, however, pushed back, saying they\u2019d like to buy property in the neighborhood but the housing stock is low.<\/p>\n Stocking said after the meeting he feels like the second proposal is \u201cmoving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposal needs a zoning change and a hearing before the Chicago Plan Commission as it qualifies as a planned development project, a process for larger developments that adds a layer of city overview.<\/p>\n Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th) rejected the developers\u2019 first proposal over neighbor concerns, but his office is collecting feedback online<\/a> for the second proposal through May 14. The alderman will decide to reject or support the latest zoning proposal after the standard two-week feedback period ends.<\/p>\n Support Freedom of the Press<\/strong><\/p>\n Independent journalism like this only exists because of readers like you.<\/strong> This World Press Freedom Day, help Block Club raise $20,000<\/strong><\/a> to fuel high-impact investigations that hold Chicago\u2019s institutions and leaders accountable. Make your tax-deductible donation here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AVONDALE \u2014 A development proposal for an Avondale lot has been scaled back over community concerns around density…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":777511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,1322,7065,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-777510","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-featured","10":"tag-housing","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116528276309386333","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-04-at-5.04.50-PM-1024x402.png\")
The old proposal for 3231-65 N. California Ave.\/2752-62 W. Melrose St. is compared with the new one shared with neighbors on April 28, 2026, showing less units but more townhomes.
Credit: Provided\/HIRSCH MPG<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Blank-2000-x-1333-4-1024x682.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
The California\/Melrose lot as seen April 28, 2026. Credit: Ariel Parrella-Aureli\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778080279_395_Blank-2000-x-1333-3-1024x682.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
The northeast corner of California Avenue and Melrose Street with the updated multi-family proposal for the lot shows the entrance on California. Credit: HIRSCH MPG<\/p>\n