Community Corner

Target Reveals Plans for New Lake View Store

The preliminary plans are out, with Target representatives ready to show them to the public next week. Officials comment on what they were shown.

Representatives with Target Corp. are ready to reveal plans for their new Lake View location, and officials say the façade’s design blends well into the historic neighborhood.

The initial presentation for the store on the corner of Lincoln, Belmont and Ashland avenues was made during the 44th Ward’s Community Directed Development Council meeting last week.

And although the meeting is closed to the public, Ald. Tom Tunney’s Chief of Staff Bennett Lawson said the preliminary renderings show historic preservation and a façade that matches the neighborhood’s feel.

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“It’s very basic right now, but they put a lot of homework into the rhythm of this neighborhood and how that manifests itself into a big-box retailer,” Lawson said. “You’re not going to get completely art deco, but they’re looking at using the Medic Building (at 3225 N. Ashland Ave.) on the north end. They have that great art deco façade, so they have some pieces that preservationists want to include.”

Lawson said the same presentation will be made at the next West Lake View Neighbors meeting on May 14. The organization meets at the Mystic Celt at 3443 N. Southport Ave. at 6:30 p.m.

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Neighbors at the meeting will undoubtedly give their two-cents about the new development in hopes of swaying design details. At the last WLVN meeting, residents shared their fears regarding what the new Target would mean for their property values.

Bridget Gross said her family put their home up for sale when Patch broke the story about Target coming to Lake View. But when buyers hear the news, it’s tough to seal the deal.

“I’m the test case for what’s going to happen here,” Gross said in March. “We put our house on the market in January and it sold in 5 days. But then they started hearing stuff about the approval, and in escrow, they pulled out. We put it back on the market and it sold in a day. They knew about the Target, but then they also got cold feet. So, yeah, we’re the test case here.”

Lawson said Target officials plan to meet with concerned homeowners on Melrose Street before next week’s meeting, as well as with the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce and nearby church. This is just the first round of designs the company plans to produce for the project.

“They’ll be doing this first round of very conceptual use of the space and coming back and doing some revisions and recouping,” Lawson said.

Target plans to be open by late 2015.

The site was formerly destined to be a $100 million mixed-use building with 130 new condos and 90,000-square-feet of commercial space. After being approved for construction by the city council in March 2007, however, the collapsing market took its toll, putting the project by Centrum Properties on hold. 


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