A long-delayed, $1.1 billion apartment project in River West is heading toward a City Council showdown, and the timing couldn’t be more politically charged.
Onni Group is leveraging a city rule tied to affordable housing to force a vote on its plan for 2,451 apartments at 700 West Chicago Avenue, just north of the Bally’s casino site, Crain’s reported.
The 7-acre site would set aside 490 units for affordable housing. The developer secured Plan Commission approval nearly a year ago but has been blocked from moving forward due to a dispute with the influential SEIU Local 1 over unionization for building workers.
The project’s zoning change has languished in committee under Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., who represents the ward and chairs the Zoning Committee. The proposal will fail unless Onni signs a “labor peace agreement” allowing the union to freely organize staff at the property, Burnett has said.
Onni’s zoning attorney triggered the inclusionary housing clause by sending a formal notice to Burnett a week ago, starting a 60-day countdown. If no committee vote occurs by June 20, the project automatically advances to the full City Council with a “do pass” recommendation, putting the developer’s standoff with labor front and center for a summer vote.
SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup said the union is prepared to lobby against the development if Onni bypasses negotiations. The fight places Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former union organizer and longtime SEIU ally, in an awkward spot.
His administration has promoted “cut the tape” initiatives to speed up development but has also tread carefully with organized labor, especially after recent intra-union rifts.
A senior City Hall official said the mayor hasn’t intervened in the dispute but acknowledged the rarity of projects reaching this stage without labor support.
Onni’s gambit mirrors a similar maneuver by Sterling Bay, which is also attempting to force a City Council vote for a separate stalled development. Burnett, however, warned that bypassing his committee doesn’t ensure success: any public official may not know Onni, he said, but “they do know the union.”
— Judah Duke