Another vacant lot on the edge of Fulton Market is a step closer to becoming housing. The Chicago Plan Commission has approved Range Group's residential development at 1133 W. Kinzie St., Urbanize Chicago reported.
The site is a vacant lot bounded by Kinzie Street on the north, May Street on the east, the Metra tracks on the south and Racine Avenue on the west.
If the rest of the approvals come through, Urbanize reports, construction on the $20 million development would begin in February 2027 and wrap up in spring 2028. For Chicago contractors, that puts a mid-size, all-residential job on the calendar for next year.
The approval
The Plan Commission took up the project at its Oct. 15 hearing at City Hall, according to the city's hearing page. The city lists the applicant as MKR Owner LLC and places the site in the Near West Side community area in the 27th Ward.
The request is to rezone the property from M2-3, a manufacturing district, to DX-5 with a Planned Development designation. The city's listing describes a five-story residential building of 59 feet, 11 inches, with up to 110 homes, 33 car parking spaces and a maximum floor area ratio of 5.
With the Plan Commission's approval secured, the rezoning still has to clear the City Council's Committee on Zoning and the full City Council, Urbanize reported.
What's planned
Designed by SEEK Design + Architecture, the building would be all residential and stand about 60 feet tall, Urbanize reported. The 110 units would break down into 59 studios, 42 one-bedrooms and nine two-bedrooms.
To meet the city's Affordable Requirements Ordinance, 17 units, or 15%, would be set aside as affordable. The developer would pay a $1.1 million fee-in-lieu for the remaining 5% of the requirement.
The design leans on the neighborhood's industrial past, with brick detailing and large windows. The massing fills the site and is broken into three pieces, with the two ends holding the corners and the middle section set back from the street to give some relief along the long frontage.
Inside the building
On the ground floor, the residential entrance would sit at the corner of Kinzie and May, along with a package room and fitness space, according to Urbanize. Ground-floor apartments would face Kinzie and Racine, and the bike room would open off Racine. The back of the ground floor would hold the 33 parking spaces, with access from May Street.
The upper floors would each have 25 units, some with private balconies. All residents would share a rooftop deck facing southeast toward the downtown skyline.
By the numbers
Some quick math of our own using the reported figures: $20 million spread over 110 units works out to roughly $182,000 per unit. The parking ratio is 33 spaces for 110 homes, or about three spaces for every 10 units.
Why it matters for contractors
This is the kind of project that keeps mid-size general contractors and their subs busy in Chicago: a five-story residential building on a tight urban lot with a defined budget and timeline. It means work for foundations, the building's structure, masonry for the brick detailing, windows, roofing and the rooftop deck, MEP trades, and a heavy finish package across 110 mostly small units.
The site has its own challenges, too. It backs up to the Metra tracks, so logistics, staging and access from May Street will matter. And a February start means foundation work in the heart of winter.
Contractors interested in the job should track the rezoning through the Committee on Zoning and City Council. If it clears, a February 2027 start means pricing and bid packages could start moving in the months ahead.