High-rises are usually associated with the density of downtown Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods, but the demand for luxury housing is causing proposals for those types of projects to pop all over Chicagoland, even in the suburbs. Evanston and Oak Park are seeing a rise in the construction and proposal of taller buildings, according to Chicago Magazine.                                                      

Evanston 

601 Davis Street rendering courtesy of Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Evanston, just 12 miles north of downtown, has often felt like an extension of the city, but residents are starting to push back against high-rise projects. For example, Vermilion Development proposed a 33-story high-rise that would have been one of the tallest buildings in Evanston, but the city’s Planning and Development Committee shot the proposal down, according to Curbed Chicago. The project’s height, density, and lack of parking caused the 6 to 1 one vote against it moving forward. 

Just last month, developers planning a 37-story mixed-use tower for the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue decided to scrap the project, according to Curbed Chicago. The high-rise would have included a new performance space for the Northlight Theater, hotel rooms, apartments, a restaurant, and parking space. 

While those 30-story-plus towers will never see the light of day, other high-rise projects are moving forward in Evanston. For instance, a 25-story condo project at 1621 Chicago Ave. is likely to move forward, according to Curbed Chicago.

Developers are realizing they need to strike a delicate balance between meeting demand for high-rise projects and understanding how residents will react to growing density. “We went through the zoning approvals with a 12-story building, but when you start getting into 20 and 30 stories, it really deviates from the core of what Evanston is,” Kage Brown of Hubbard Street Group said to Chicago Magazine. 

Oak Park

The Emerson rendering courtesy of Oak Park Economic Development Corporation 

Oak Park, a western suburb of Chicago, is also getting more high-rise projects and proposals. The 21-story Vantage Oak Park transit-oriented development, a mixed-use residential and retail building, is nearing completion, according to Curbed Chicago. Additionally, a 12-story building will rise at Harlem Avenue and South Boulevard. Another mixed-use project, this one featuring a 20-story and five-story building, will go up between Lake Street and North Boulevard, according to the Oak Park website.

While much of the new development focuses on apartments and retail, Oak Park is getting a number of new condo buildings as well. A five-story, 10-unit luxury condo building is planned for the corner of Maple Avenue and Chicago Avenue, and a $17.1 million condo building with five stories is planned for Lake Street and Euclid Avenue, according to the Oak Park website. 

While not all high-rise projects will come to fruition in Evanston and Oak Park it seems likely the residential, retail, and mixed-use proposals will keep coming.