Ravine Park Partners and Brinshore Development are seeking approval for a revised version of their proposal to redevelop the Fifth Third Bank property at the intersection of Lincoln, Damen, and Irving Park.

On the parking lot, Ravine Park Partners are proposing to build a new mixed-use building including commercial space on the ground floor and residential units above. This building’s design has been significantly revised to incorporate feedback from the community.

The proposal also includes the adaptive re-use of the existing bank building at Lincoln & Irving Park by Brinshore Development, an experienced affordable developer. The building will be converted to contain 64 family-sized affordable units reserved for families having left situations of gender-based violence. Those families will receive tailored on-site services.

Quick Facts

3959 N. Lincoln (Adaptive Reuse of Existing Bank Building)

Under this proposal, the bank would be converted to an affordable mixed-use building with additions built to match the height of the building along Lincoln and along the alley to the east.

  • The rehabbed building would include:

    • Communal and private meeting space for service delivery to residents;

    • 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space;

    • 64 affordable residential units, including 14 one-bedrooms, 36 two-bedrooms, and 14 three-bedrooms;

    • 18 car parking spaces accessed from the alley.

3950 N. Damen (New Development on the Parking Lot)

  • The developers propose building 7 stories at the corner of Irving Park and Damen, before dropping down to 6 stories (set back from the street) then 4 stories on the south end of the lot (matching the existing building to the south).

  • The building would be set back from the sidewalk along Irving Park (5 feet) and along Damen (15 feet) to expand pedestrian space and provide a minimum sidewalk width of 12 feet. It would include a 3,000 square foot plaza along Damen.

  • The building would include:

    • 2,500 square feet for Fifth Third Bank fronting Irving Park, as well as an internal bank drive-through;

    • 2,700 square feet of additional retail space fronting the plaza;

    • 170 residential units above the first floor, including 52 studios, 81 one-bedrooms, and 37 two- and three-bedrooms;

    • 101 car parking spaces. Parking would be accessed from Damen on the south end of the site and from the alley, as would the bank drive-through.

Provide Feedback

With all development proposals, our office follows a community-driven process. You can read in detail about our zoning process here. In January 2023, our office hosted an initial virtual meeting and in-person open house to collect feedback and to allow provide neighbors the opportunity to ask questions of the development team regarding their initial proposal for a market-rate redevelopment of both properties involved. Since then, our office reviewed hundreds of individual pieces of feedback centering on such topics as traffic safety at this intersection, the level of affordability in the building, the building’s size, and the amount of parking being offered.

We subsequently spent several months working with a variety of actors including City Departments, the North Center Neighbors Association (NCNA), the North Center Chamber of Commerce, Ravine Park Partners, affordable developer Brinshore, and gender-based violence advocates Apna Ghar and The Network, to have the applicant make changes that responded to the community’s feedback. This included our office organizing a separate community engagement process (which you can find out about here) to get feedback on proposed traffic safety improvements to the intersection.

Most recently, our office received feedback from dozens of neighbors on Tuesday 11/28 during a two-hour in-person open house and a two-hour virtual community meeting. You can access all the materials from those meetings below.

Materials from the 11/28 Community Meetings

you can still provide Feedback Anytime:

Online Feedback or call 773-868-4747

Frequently Asked Questions

+ How many units, bedroom mix, and where?

The applicant is proposing to build 234 units, spread out over the two buildings. The Lincoln building will contain 14 one-bedroom, 36 two-bedroom, and 14 three-bedroom affordable units. The Damen building will contain 52 studio, 81 one-bedroom, and 37 two- and three-bedroom units.

+ What will the impact be on traffic and parking?

The applicant hired traffic engineering firm KLOA; Inc. to prepare a study to predict the impact of this potential development on parking and traffic in the neighborhood. The data is extrapolated from local census data around car ownership and commuting trends. Our office required that they include data from several developments that have not yet been constructed within half a mile of this site to ensure that their impact is captured. You can download the study above in the materials from 11/28 community meetings.

+ How many commercial spaces will be added and what are the ideal tenants?

The proposal calls for 3,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor of the existing bank building and 5,200 square feet on the ground floor of the Damen building, 2,500 of which would be reserved for Fifth Third Bank (the current property owner). The remaining commercial space on Damen would be built with black iron, meaning that it could host a restaurant.

+ Are there any sustainable features?

For any new construction part of Planned Development, including this one, the Department of Planning & Development requires that the builder reach 100 points in the city’s sustainability matrix, which can be found here. The applicant has the option to fulfill this requirement through different types of landscaping, energy efficient appliances, stormwater management, waste disposal, or bird-safe glass.

+ How did the developer settle on the proposed height?

The applicant has offered different iterations of their proposal for the corner of Damen & Irving Park, starting with a 16-story tower, then going down to 8 stories. As a result of conversations with the Alderman’s office, North Center Neighbors Association, attendees at our January community meeting, and the Department of Planning & Development, the applicant reduced the height to the current proposal of 7 stories on the corner dropping down to 6 stories farther south, then 4 stories. The existing building south of the parking lot is 4 stories, which informs the maximum height farther south on Damen.

+ Is alley access necessary for parking? How will this impact the alley west of Damen?

As a result of community conversations, the developer has agreed to set back the upper stories (excluding the ground floor) by 25 feet to reduce the visual impact of the building and allow for sun penetration to adjacent properties. The alley ROW will be used on garbage day for refuse pickup/removal, as well as access to an interior tenant loading area, and as a second point for egress for residents. Dumpsters will be located on the building’s property and wheeled out/in for collection on designated collection days only. The interior loading and trash areas of the building will be accessed via the alley door, along with a secondary point of egress for residents.

+ How will the commercial spaces be promoted to ensure they don't remain vacant?

By providing an outdoor seating area along Damen Ave, the applicant believes the additional retail space in the Damen building will be a desirable location for a coffee shop or restaurant user to take the space. The existing bank space in the Lincoln Building has an open floor plan and architecturally significant interior space that we believe will be desirable to multiple tenant types. Preference will be given to retailers on a first come, first serve basis. If local and independent retailers are interested in occupying either space please reach out to us so we can work to accommodate your needs during the design process.

+ Is the drive-through needed? Can it be removed from the proposal?

The current owner of the building is Fifth Third Bank. They have made it clear that the sale of the property is dependent on a drive-through being included in the building.

+ Can short-term rentals (e.g. Airbnb) be banned from the development?

According to the applicant, its lease agreements prohibit short-term housing and vacation rentals.