Norstar Development USA is seeking a rezoning of a 2.1 acre parcel at 375 Michigan Avenue to construct a three building, mixed-use residential development. Plans call for two two-story townhouse buildings along East Eagle Street with each building containing four three-bedroom units. A three-story mixed-use building is proposed along Michigan Avenue with ground floor commercial space and mixed-income apartments on the upper floors.
A design for the larger building has not been released. The project wraps around a former KFC restaurant at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Eagle Street. Tenant parking is proposed internal to the site. Stieglitz Snyder Architecture is designing the project.
From the rezoning application:
The proposed zoning amendment and “attached house” improvements are more consistent with the built environment extending from Michigan Avenue eastward than the uses found to the west. The neighborhood to the east includes primarily residential uses, both single-family and multi-family structures, as well as light commercial, a house of worship and nearby parkland. The proposed 3-bedroom townhomes fit seamlessly into the fabric of the existing neighborhood and will offer a street presence more consistent with the arterial side streets off the main thoroughfare Michigan Avenue.
A market study conducted for the proposed development identifies a need for family-sized, mixed-income rental housing, including 3-bedroom units. The units will be rented to households earning at or below 60% and 90% of the area median income, helping to fill a need for new housing options for low-to-moderate income families in the area bordering on the central business district and downtown. Importantly, Applicant is only requesting rezoning of the 375 Michigan Avenue parcel necessary to accommodate the proposed townhouse structures.
Norstar is currently constructing similar townhouses at its Niagara Square Apartments project that is replacing the Shoreline Apartment complex along Niagara Street. Norstar also redeveloped the former Ellicott Town Center public housing development east of the Michigan Avenue project in the 1990s.