The Uptown Chicago Commission has invited everyone to a community meeting to hear plans for a proposed new business. A zoning change is required to permit the new use.Date: Wednesday, December 12th
Time: 7:00pm, lasting approximately 1 hour
Location: Alderman Mary Ann Smith's Ward Service Office
5533 N. Broadway
There is a proposed zoning change for 4707 N. Broadway (picture attached) which would permit a night club to open in the basement space. The nightclub would occupy 7,600 square feet and permit occupancy of up to 300 patrons.
Update: A reader who attended the meeting wrote in:
"I also attended the meeting regarding 4707 N. Broadway building and its proposed tenants. Club Lucky is definitely the club that wants the basement space. The two north retail spots will be rented by restaurants. One is a burger place that's popular out West and the other restaurant wasn't described in detail. The southern most spaces have no tenants interested at this time. I assume due to the way the building comes to a triangular point there. Seems difficult to rent in my opinion. The purpose of the meeting was a vote to allow them to go from a zoning class B to a C-1-5 so the club can serve alcohol and charge a cover. There were several members of the community there who didn't seem keen on the idea. I had to leave early and didn't get the result of the vote, but I hope that all the tenants go into the space, as the developer needs the money and that corner could use life. He's losing much money on the project as it's a labor of love. I'm glad he restored it. It's an interesting building."
This is related to the proposed concept by Bernard Higgins & Robert Paladino of Club Lucky (in Bucktown).
ReplyDeleteLet me preface by stating I don't live in the 46th (I'm in 47), but I'm close enough to care deeply about the stuff going on in the area.
As a long time fan of Club Lucky, anything similar to that concept would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood and would play well with the likes of the Uptown Lounge, Green Mill, Crew, Wilde Pug etc. It would also make a great pre/post-concert venue for the Riv, the Aragon and (hopefully) the Uptown.
Keep in mind that Club Lucky made it's home in the Bucktown area long (1991) before Bucktown became the new Lincoln Park, so this could good news for Uptown. Higgin's partner, Paladino, also opened O'Fame in Lincoln Park in 1983 at the corner of Webster & Halsted. Uptown residents should absolutely support this kind of business; thank goodness this building falls in 48, instead of the Alderbeast's ward. Otherwise, we could see it winding up in Lincoln Square or North Center after she screamed at them for planting flowers or something.
I won't be able to make it so I'm hoping someone will post a full report here or at BPN.
ReplyDeleteI'm just interested in details. I've heard this described as a nightclub, but my impression was that Club Lucky was also a restaurant. I hope more detail on that is given at the meeting as I'd love to see another restaurant in the neighborhood. (Nightclubs hold nothing for me, although that's just personnel preference.)
It certainly sounds like the right type of business leader we want entering the area.
As far as the burger joint, I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up being FatBurger, a CA staple and probably one of the better burger joints around... think more along the lines of Johnny Rockets or Fuddruckers as opposed to Micky D's or Burger King. It would be nice to have one in the area and I know they have been looking to expand in to Chicago (I actually thought about it myself sitting in their Pacific Beach, CA location).
ReplyDeleteIf it's Fat Burger.......YUM!
ReplyDeletethanks for the update! Any word on when it would happen if they got the zoning changes? I can't wait to see that building have life. (The next one we have to then work on is the half-complete renovation catty-corner from this building. If that were to finish and get something, we'd truly have a nice little stretch from leland all the way to the FatCat.
ReplyDeleteWhat they pa to have is a live music bar. Not a restaurant of any sort. That is what was said at the meeting. Also no rep. from Club Lucky showed. I thought that ws rather strange. Interesting enough the building owner sid that they would also want a 4 a.m. license. I am all for filling up the spaces. But parking is my concern and most spaces are allready filled.
ReplyDeletelast anon -- parking should not be a concern. this is a block from the El, and people shouldn't be driving to a bar to drink anyway. not to mention it should not be the city's responsibility to ensure every resident has (nearly) free real estate on which to store their cars. if there aren't enough parking spaces in the neighborhood, then it's because you're not paying enough to create a market for parking. forcing developers to add excess parking is just a recipe for traffic and suburbanization.
ReplyDeleteI am so tired of everyone saying Uptown doesn't need parking because it is a "Commuter Neighborhood" What a crock of Public Relations spin to justify not spending money to meeting parking needs.
ReplyDeleteWhen new developments do not build in adequate parking, people do not cease to drive. They simply park all over the neighborhood, astronomically driving up the price of parking for the locals. That is what has happened at Marine and MOntrose where parking now exceeds $200 per month because of night soccer and baseball games and that is why most neighborhoods adopt permit parking zones. However, the city has recently announced that they are intending to put a moratorium on parking permit zones, just as Uptown has developed to the point of needing them.
Besides, we can't possibly be a "Commuter neighborhood" when we are traditionally allocated the oldest, most broken down CTA buses in the system (per Sun Time study) and have a turd rather than a safe, working CTA station on Wilson.