Lincoln Property, Morningside Make Final Pitch on Hahn Street

By Carol Kania Morency

Both developers vying to make a new north gateway for downtown Elmhurst revealed during their final presentations on Monday they had been approached by a “boutique grocer” who wants to be a part of the mix at the southwest corner of North Avenue and York Road. 

The two finalists, Morningside Group and Lincoln Property Co., outlined their plans for the 10-acre parcel between York and Addison Avenue just north of Hahn Street. Banner Apartments also was originally part of the final round but dropped out of the running in October.

While both developers acknowledged the advances of the grocery store chain, neither was ready to fully work the idea into their plans. Representatives from Lincoln told the council if they were chosen, they would revamp their design to include the store. 

As for Morningside, Vice President Melissa Pittman noted one of their drawings included the store, but she added that the grocery store concept “has several significant hurdles.”

Morningside offered plans for a four-story complex, and an alternate six-story design. Lincoln's design splits the difference, at five stories high.

Both plans feature retail space on York and a green plaza area bisecting that space, along with rental housing on the west side of the site. In the Lincoln plan, the retail space is adjacent to the plaza. Morningside places shops on York Road, but with a 20-foot sidewalk between the building and the street. 

Morningside’s rental component includes 139 units at four stories (207 at six) in contrast to Lincoln’s 216. Both developers indicated they had thought about how to integrate new construction into the current neighborhood on Addison by keeping buildings on the west side of the site to three or four stories. Also, both plans retain enough of Hahn to give the existing townhomes full street access. 

Both companies stressed their concepts for the streetscape. Morningside’s proposed look is more traditional than Lincoln’s contemporary façade. Each plan also highlights an architectural element that rises upward from the retail building, allowing the development to be seen from York or North.

Sustainable building features and stormwater management also were also stressed by both teams, including green roofs, permeable paver bricks, and bike parking. The plans each put an emphasis on space around the footprint of the buildings, and saving or planting trees where possible. Morningside intends to pursue a station from the Divvy bike-sharing program, which recently debuted in many Chicago neighborhoods.

Detailed information on each development, as well as alternate designs, is provided in the presentations:

• Morningside's proposal can be found here and here.  
• The Lincoln proposal can be found here. 
• The video of the proposals in their entirety is embedded with this article.