Community Meeting April 29 on Winthrop Development Proposal
Developer Harlem Irving Companies [HIC] is moving forward with a proposed mixed-use, multifamily development at 5602 N. Winthrop, at Bryn Mawr.
A community meeting will be held Wednesday, April 29 at 6:40PM, to discuss the proposal at Edgewater Presbyterian, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr.
To register for the meeting visit: https://the48thward.org/development-rsvp
The project will be six stories (ground-floor retail plus five residential floors) with 95 apartment units but only 28 off-street parking spaces. HIC bought this site in 2020, proposed a residential project in late 2024, and was granted zoning variations approval in Feb. 2025 for front and rear setbacks.
Presently it is the site of three one-story commercial buildings in the Bryn Mawr Historic District, which received preliminary landmark status on
April 2 2026 from the Commission on Chicago Landmark
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!
Legal Update: Lawsuit Filed over Broadway Upzoning
Note to ASCO Members: ASCO is sharing this report to keep our members informed of local developments. This post serves as a summary of publicly available information regarding the lawsuit filed by ERRD and does not constitute a formal endorsement of the litigation.
On January 12, 2026, the Edgewater Residents for Responsible Development (ERRD), along with 13 local residents and business owners, filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court.
The legal challenge centers on the City of Chicago’s October 16 decision to upzone approximately 1.5 miles of the Broadway neighborhood shopping district—a move the plaintiffs describe as “unprecedented” in scope and scale.
Primary Legal Allegations
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Violation of Due Process
The complaint alleges that the city enacted sweeping rezoning without the legally required public study, notice, and planning process.
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Neighborhood Impact
Plaintiffs argue the upzoning encourages demolition of historic buildings and alters the long-standing fabric of the shopping district.
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Request for Invalidation
The suit asks the court to invalidate the upzoning and restore the properties to their prior zoning classifications.
“Edgewater’s Broadway is a vital district with historic buildings housing beloved small businesses. The City’s upzoning targets these for demolition. We were left with no other recourse.”
— Patricia Sharkey, ERRD President
Related Documents
Matching Gift Challenge
Recognizing the costs of litigation, several Broadway small businesses have offered a $15,000 Matching Gift Challenge to support ERRD’s legal efforts through the end of January.
ERRD@baliozian.com
@ERRD1
ERRD, 6236 N. Lakewood, Chicago, IL 60660
Information provided by ERRD. Not an ASCO managed fund.
The Win-Win Roadmap
ERRD has proposed an alternative set of planning principles for responsible development on Broadway, currently supported by over 650 residents.
The Greenest, Most Affordable Housing
Is the Housing We Already Have
By Jack Markowski
As Chicago debates the future of Broadway in Edgewater, one simple truth is being overlooked: the greenest housing is the housing we already have. Every time we demolish an existing building and replace it with new construction, we incur an enormous carbon cost. The embodied energy in brick,wood, and concrete — all the materials that went into our older buildings — is lost, and the emissions from producing and transporting new materials are added to the atmosphere. Preservation isn’t nostalgia; it’s climate policy.
But environmental impact is only half the story. Existing housing is also our city’s most affordable housing; it’s called Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing. The one to three-story buildings that line Broadway provide naturally affordable homes for working families, seniors, and young people; they also house a vast array of locally owned businesses. When those buildings are replaced by upscale new developments, the result isn’t a wider range of choices — it’s higher rents and fewer options for current residents and businesses…
Supporters of upzoning claim that allowing taller, denser private developments will eventually lower rents on Broadway and throughout Edgewater. That theory — a “trickle down” approach to housing — depends on an unrealistic assumption: that private developers will build so much market-rate housing that supply vastly outstrips demand. In fact, in Chicago this has never proven to be true. There is not a single instance where development has led to price reductions in a local housing market. In Edgewater, a thriving and desirable community, this will never happen. Prices won’t drop until the neighborhood loses the very qualities that make people want to live here…
Preserving existing housing and protecting local businesses isn’t just about saving old buildings. It’s about protecting affordability, reducing emissions, and keeping neighborhoods like Edgewater strong.
Jack Markowski is the former Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Housing and former President /CEO of the Community Investment Corporation, the Chicago area’s leading lender for affordable rental housing.
