Planet Granite inks big lease for climbing gym at Near North Side mixed-use complex

Structured Development's Shops at Big Deahl site will span 3 acres

A rendering of the Planet Granite facility set to anchor the Shops at Big Deahl, with Structured Development CEO J. Michael Drew
A rendering of the Planet Granite facility set to anchor the Shops at Big Deahl, with Structured Development CEO J. Michael Drew

Structured Development’s massive retail and commercial park on the Near North Side just got its anchor tenant.

The Chicago-based real estate development firm signed climbing facility Planet Granite to a 40,000 square-foot space at its planned Shops at Big Deahl mixed-use development.

The site encompasses about three acres, and calls for 150,000 square feet of retail and commercial space alongside a half-acre park. It is just west of the block-sized mixed-use complex called New City, which Structured Development completed in 2015.

With 55-foot climbing walls reaching three stories tall, the Planet Granite facility will become one of the country’s largest private climbing gyms, according to the company. Work will begin on the building, located 1450 North Dayton Avenue, next spring, and expected to take two years.

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Marc Offit of Braden Real Estate brokered the lease deal with Planet Granite.

The Shops at Big Deahl is located within a previously undefined slice of the north side, a traditionally industrial space just south of the Lincoln Park neighborhood. It traces the east bank of the North Branch Canal. Developers and city officials have taken to calling the canal bank “The Wild Mile,” envisioning a waterfront recreation space with restored plant and animal wildlife.

Last year, the City Council approved a plan to build a boardwalk, fishing stations and “vegetative islands” on the half-mile stretch of waterfront on the east side of Goose Island, between North Avenue and Division Street. In April, Onni Group was in advanced talks to pick up a development site on Goose Island for a residential complex.

A smaller Planet Granite climbing gym is also planned for 1111 West Addison Street, near Wrigley Field.