Christopher House-Uptown Youth Leadership Program Now Available

Christopher House (4701 N. Winthrop) is offering a free, after-school youth leadership program for students aged 11-17. The program meets every day from 2:30-5:30 and offers full day (7:30-5:30) programming on most CPS days off and full breaks including winter, spring, and SUMMER break!

The Youth Leadership program focuses on four major areas: 

 

-Life skills and leadership development 

 -Academic enrichment and exploration 

 -Wellness and social-emotional learning 

 -Recreation 

Youth leaders participate in daily academic time, enrichment activities, field trips, volunteering, and more! If you are interested in learning more or signing your student up for Christopher House’s Youth Leadership Program, please contact Ashley at ashropshire@christopherhouse.org or Jesus at jruiz@christopherhouse.org

'2Bears Tavern Uptown' Grand Opening March 10

2Bears Tavern Uptown, 1140 W. Wilson

2Bears Tavern Group—which owns and operates Andersonville’s The SoFo Tap and Meeting House Tavern and Rogers Park’s Jackhammer—will open 2Bears Tavern Uptown on March 10 at 5pm, in the former Nick’s on Wilson space at 1140 West Wilson Avenue. 

Located on the first floor of the FLATS’ “Bachelor” residential building, this LGBTQIA+ tavern will boast free pinball, video games and darts; seven TVs; cocktails, CBD beverages and eight rotating drafts; be dog-friendly and have a late-night tavern license.

As with all 2Bears Tavern Group locations, 2Bears Tavern Uptown's drink menu will feature every day and daily specials, house shots and classic cocktails, with a focus on value. Customers are welcome to bring in food or order in for delivery.

We invite you to kick off your St. Patrick’s Day weekend and join us as we celebrate our Grand Opening with our neighbors, friends and colleagues! More info here.

Movin' On Up! Uptown Single Family Homes In Demand

An article today from Crain's Chicago Business (subscription required) confirms what our friends in the real estate market have been telling us for the last 2 years.  Uptown has arrived in a big way on the single family home (SFH) housing market, and sales bear that out.

From the article, the median price of single family homes in Uptown has risen nearly 19% and now sits at $1.06 million. (The median is the midpoint in the list of sales). Uptown is the only neighborhood in the city that has moved up into the million dollar tier during the pandemic.  (Per Zillow, the number of U.S. cities with a million dollar SFH median price grew by 43% in 2021, up to 481).

With space being at a premium during the COVID-19 pandemic, our neighborhood, which offers lower relative prices, larger house sizes and larger lots than other places in the city, became a big draw to buyers who previously might have considered SFH or condos in Lincoln Park (median $1.7 million) and Lakeview (median $1.34 million).  The neighborhood's beautiful homes, many with historical pedigree, proximity to the lake and transportation, and great resources, including great restaurants, have all played a role in Uptown's rise.  

In comparison, Uptown condo sales and prices have remained steady for the last two years.  However, our contacts in the real estate world think that the median price may rise soon with recent pre-sales on Dover and Beacon, and new condo offerings coming on the market in 2022 and 2023 on Winthrop, Malden, Beacon and the 4500, 4600 and 4700 blocks of Clark.

As we say here often, it's a good time to be in Uptown.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

If, like us, you have been waiting patiently for the demise of one of Uptown's most unsightly strip malls, today was your day.

We first learned of the new development at 4501 N. Sheridan in late 2020 and disclosed it in early 2021, and multiple photos and messages sent from readers today confirmed that construction is close at hand. The mall was formerly home to Sunnyside Health Center, which has moved to 4140 N. Broadway. 

The project by Mavrek Development is known as Forty Five-01. It is being built as of right and will feature rental units. It replaces a particularly unsightly strip mall that, paired with the strip mall directly north, has been a dreary stretch of Uptown for many years.

4501 N. Sheridan (Mavrek Development)

While Clark Street is garnering headlines, the Clarendon Park section of Uptown is also hot, with this development, the upcoming 4600 N. Marine (where another reader writes she saw construction vehicles earlier today), the senior affordable housing development at 835 W. Wilson and 4447 N. Hazel, which is set to start any day.

It's a great time to be in Uptown.

Uptown Residents Discuss the Future Of Clark Street

 

4502-10 N. Clark (Department of Planning & Development)

Residents joined a Zoom meeting last night sponsored by the Chicago Department of Planning & Development to discuss the future of Clark Street from Foster to Montrose.

High on the wish-list of most who took the online survey included additional development of retail and residential, wider sidewalks, adaptive reuse of historical buildings, streetscape cohesion, and connected and protected bike paths. 

Of note in the presentation was a rendering of the 4 story building in development at 4504 N. Clark on the NW corner of Clark & Sunnyside. We can assume the one-story building (which was unexpectedly razed) will be recreated to look like what we see in the rendering above. 

Another potential development site listed in the presentation is Somboon Auto Repair, right across the street at 4501 N. Clark. As of now we are unaware of any active plans for the site, but DPD is looking  at ways to replace "empty" surface lots along Clark with additional density.

A second workshop is planned this spring focusing on stakeholders in the community. 

You can view the presentation deck online here and a recording of the meeting here.

Make Your Voice Heard in Clark Street's Rebirth

We have witnessed explosive growth on Clark Street over the last two years, with new condominium and apartment buildings under development or under construction at 4410 N. Clark, 4502 N. Clark, 4511 N. Clark, 4533 N. Clark, 4537 N. Clark, 4645 N. Clark and 4701 N. Clark. 

These buildings are expected to bring close to 200 new residents to a previously sleepy stretch of Clark that has seen numerous commercial vacancies in the nondescript one-and two-story commercial buildings that line the 4400-4600 blocks, particularly as first-and second-generation wholesale merchants move to the suburbs or online only.

Now, the City of Chicago, in partnership with Uptown United and local Clark Street facing block clubs, including Clark Street Neighbors Association, has launched Clark Street Crossroads, an open participation study of potential uses for expiring TIF funds from the Clark-Montrose TIF, which spans Clark through Uptown from Montrose on the south to the southern border of Andersonville at Foster:

The study has an online interactive map for comments and a Survey Monkey component. There will also be an open to the public online workshop (registration required) on Tuesday, February 15.

Many Uptown residents have been waiting (some of us 20+ years!) for Clark to transform to a more neighborhood friendly mix of retail and residential, and we are on the cusp of something big. The influx of residents will ideally drive more business to existing retailers and restaurants and make the strip more appealing to other businesses, ultimately benefitting residents across Uptown.  

If you want to share your vision for how to best encourage future retail and residential growth on Clark Street, please take the survey, add comments to the interactive map or participate in the community workshop.

Rakkan and Rollin! Ramen Is Coming To Broadway

                                                                                                        Rakkan Ramen (rakkanramen.com)

For a few years now, Japanese ramen stalwart Rakkan Ramen has been teasing that the Tokyo-based chain will be expanding into Chicago, with three new stores in the plans.

Now we know the first Chicago location will open in late spring in Uptown at 4926 N. Broadway.

Rakkan Ramen was started in Japan in 2011 by Ryohei Ito and this first Illinois location will join the original 7 locations in Japan, the original U.S. location in Los Angeles, and stores opened in California, Colorado, Georgia, Texas and Nevada.   

Rakkan is known for their plant-based broth, and we expect they will be a great ramen bookend for the pork-based broth at Uptown tonkatsu stalwart Futatsuki Ramen, which we understand is still working to reopen after the 2020 fire at 4621 N. Broadway.

Expect signature ramens (Amber, Pearl, Garnet, Quartz) along with rice bowls, dumplings and more.

Excited for summer trips for ramen!

Construction Set To Begin On 4600 N. Marine

4600 N. Marine (Valerio Dewalt Train)

 

Neighbors in the boundaries of Clarendon Park Neighbors Association and Lakeside Area Neighbors Association should prepare themselves for a little dust and noise at 4600 N. Marine.

We hear the foundation permit for the $80M development by Lincoln Properties has just been applied for and that means construction is imminent. We look forward to welcoming the neighbors who will call the 314 new construction units home! As we have written numerous times, the upcoming Sarah's Circle development at Sheridan and Lakeside was made possible by $3.1M Lincoln Properties paid into the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund. 

Exciting times in Uptown!