Andy Ahitow and Paul Dincin are teaming up again in Evanston, this time on the largest of several apartment development proposals that investors are eyeing in the North Shore university town.
Earlier this week, their firms — Ahitow’s CityPads and Dincin’s Catapult Real Estate Solutions — unveiled plans for the former Dard Manufacturing plant and warehouse site on Custer Avenue, Evanston Now reported. Previously slated for townhouses that never materialized, the site is now targeted for redevelopment by the same team behind Evanston’s 120-unit Tapestry Station that opened earlier this year.
The proposed project, at 910 Custer Avenue, entails a five-story, 230-unit apartment building, featuring 23 affordable units for households making 60 percent or less of the area median income, as required by the city.
The recently completed Tapestry Station on Main Street provides a blueprint for the new project, the developers said. They plan to scale up their residential concept, emphasizing the project’s design to maximize sunlight exposure and incorporate an interior courtyard.
The development would only have 48 surface parking spaces for 230 units, well below typical ratios, and residents are concerned the project could create too much traffic.
Dincin noted that eschewing an underground parking structure keeps costs down and aligns with housing trends favoring urban accessibility over car ownership.
The project still needs zoning variances and approval from Evanston’s Land Use Commission, with construction tentatively scheduled to start early next year. While community feedback has been mixed, developers affirmed their commitment to minimize disruption to local businesses during the construction phase.
Furthermore, plans for a seven-story, 65-unit mixed-use building on Dempster Street by a different developer and separate expansion proposals by longtime Evanston real estate investor Cameel Halim underscore the North Shore suburb’s multifamily appeal and growth trajectory. The new seven-story structure in the 3rd Ward would be behind the single-story retail storefronts from 605 to 615 on Dempster and at 1307 Sherman Place, the outlet reported.
—Sam Lounsberry
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