Sometimes less is the same.
Tucker Development and Related Midwest propose shortening the shaft of their slender condo tower at 900 West Randolph Street in Fulton Market.
At a community meeting in the West Loop Tuesday night, the joint venture unveiled a plan to reduce the building’s height to 495 feet from 570 feet.
The redesign would preserve the square footage of the original design and give the tower a wider footprint, while preserving the pedestal at its base that helps the project conform to a stringent set of West Loop design guidelines.
The developers said the change, for which architect Morris Adjmi was asked to tweak his design, was in response to requests from the community that the building’s height be brought down.
The (for now) predominantly low-rise neighborhood has a flurry of new construction in its pipeline, including office, condo, rental and hotel and retail projects.
A streetscape redesign, to be financed by the developers, was also shown publicly for the first time. The design would close off Randolph’s unique side access roads to car traffic, creating more pedestrian space. Several community members raised concerns the plan could choke traffic in the busy restaurant and nightlife district.
Related Midwest is also proposing a 58-story tower slated to include an Equinox hotel just a few blocks to the east — a project that would be the tallest building yet in the neighborhood.
The developers said they are targeting a 2019 groundbreaking at 900 West Randolph, with about a two-year timetable for construction.