City planners OK West Town development

The Chicago Plan Commission backed a proposal Thursday for a $40 million residential building on a triangular property where Ogden Avenue crosses over the Kennedy Expressway.

The eight-story building in West Town by the developer Bond Cos. calls for 113 residential units and 29 parking spaces, along with ground-floor retail space at 1140 W. Erie St. To encourage housing for families, city officials negotiated a proposal that calls for 26% of the units to be three bedrooms.

The developer agreed to provide six of the units at lower costs under the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance and to provide funding for 17 more such units nearby.

The commission’s approval sends the matter to the full City Council for approval.

In other matters, the commission approved:

• A revised proposal for a 13-story hotel at 1520-32 N. Wells St., with three single-family homes along adjacent Wieland Street. The property used to be the site of O’Brien’s Restaurant & Bar, an Old Town staple.

• A plan by People’s Gas to replace its current facility at 38 W. 64^th St. with a 25,000-square-foot building where more than 450 people are expected to work.

• A proposal by the North Lawndale Employment Network to operate up to five apiaries on the roof of 1111 S. Homan Ave. to collect and sell honey as part of a job training program.