Amli Residential gets approval for Old Town residential tower

Amli is planning 318 units at 808 North Wells Street, 80 percent of which will be micro-units

Gregory Mutz and tower rendering (Credit: Amli Residential and Twitter)
Gregory Mutz and tower rendering (Credit: Amli Residential and Twitter)

City officials gave Amli Residential the go-ahead Thursday to build a 17-story tower in Old Town that will feature micro-apartments.

The Chicago developer has proposed building the 318-unit tower at 808 North Wells Street. As a transit-oriented development, the project would include just 16 on-site parking spaces.

The $75 million project also would include about 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

The city’s Plan Commission approved the project Thursday.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

About 80 percent of units would be studios, with the remaining 20 percent one- and two-bedrooms, according to city officials. Some 40 of the 318 planned units will be affordable.

Amli will pay $3 million to the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund in exchange for being able to build a larger project.

The site at 808 North Wells Street was originally slated to house a 23-story condo building developed by Smithfield Properties, but that project stalled after Smithfield founder Bill Smith’s death in 2016.

The building is a couple blocks from where Chicago developer Cedar Street is building a 16-story addition to the Bush Temple of Music that also will include 129 micro-apartments.