Habitat Company Pitches Townhomes for Chicago Solo Cup Site

One of Highland Park’s most contentious development sites received a residential pitch.

Chicago’s The Habitat Company is pitching a 240-unit townhome community on the 29-acre former Solo Cup site at 1700 Deerfield Road, replacing a prior industrial warehouse plan that drew community backlash, the Record North Shore reported.

Habitat is seeking to rezone the site from light industrial to residential and gain relief from existing setback, height and spacing regulations.

The firm’s proposal, now under preliminary review by Highland Park’s Plan and Design Commission, marks a major pivot for the long-vacant property as one of Chicago’s most seasoned developers steps into the fray. Habitat was founded by Chicago real estate icon Dan Levin, who died in January.

The plan calls for 50 blocks of two- and three-bedroom townhomes with private garages and a clubhouse with a pool. The property has a natural buffer in 8 acres of wetlands along the western edge.

The proposal replaces an earlier plan from Red Cup Land Company, an entity affiliated with Newsweb, to build two industrial warehouses totaling 300,000 square feet. That plan collapsed in 2023 after Highland Park officials and neighbors raised concerns about traffic, pollution and proximity to schools, and it failed to win approval. The Solo Cup site has sat empty since 2008.

The shift to a residential concept has eased tensions, though commissioners have expressed concerns about density, walkability and unit design. Commissioners also pressed for clarity on whether the townhomes will be for sale or rent and what price points are under consideration.

Habitat intends to conduct a fiscal impact study on local schools and will incorporate community feedback, its lawyer said.

— Judah Duke