JV Begins Vertical Construction of Chicago Project

4611 N. Broadway. Image courtesy of Pappageorge Haymes Partners

The John Buck Co. and Free Market Ventures have begun vertical construction on Platform 4611 in Chicago. The nine-story, transit-oriented rental building is in the city’s Uptown neighborhood.

Located at 4611 N. Broadway, the 200-unit property offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedrooms units. The top floor will house the three-bedroom penthouse units and building amenities. Platform 4611 will also offer approximately 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

The apartment units will feature nine-foot exposed concrete ceilings, kitchens with granite countertops and tile backsplashes, wood-look luxury vinyl tile flooring in living spaces and bedrooms and tile flooring in bathrooms.

John Buck and Free Market Ventures tapped McHugh Construction to serve as general contractor for the project. JBC and McHugh previously collaborated on developments such as the Virgin Hotel in the Loop and MILA Luxury Apartments. Architecture firm Pappageorge Haymes Partners designed the mid-rise building, which will feature a masonry and glass façade. Last month, a joint venture of Time Equities Inc., JK Equities and Oak Capitals tapped McHugh to serve as the general contractor for its Chicago skyscraper dubbed 100M.

Amenities at the property were designed to meet the changing needs of all building residents and tenants, to ensure safety, noted McHugh. Features include a touchless entry sequence, destination dispatch elevators, reservable individual office space on each residential floor and a fitness center with heat map technology to ensure that occupants maintain social distancing. The top floor has dedicated co-working space, an outdoor terrace offering grilling stations for residents, multiple seating areas and views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Platform 4611 will have surface-level parking for 22 vehicles and 178 bicycles.

McHugh has completed Platform 4611’s caisson foundation and has begun vertical construction. The building is expected to top out in spring 2022, with construction completed in late 2022 or early 2023.

The Uptown project gets the Platform 4611 name from its location at the northeast corner of Broadway and Wilson Avenue. The building is directly across the street from the renovated Wilson CTA train station, which serves Chicago’s Red and Purple Lines, providing residents with access to downtown Chicago.

Big Boost in Inventory

Chicago has 381 multifamily properties with a total of 87,180 units within 5 miles of Huron Street, according to Yardi Matrix. If all the projects that developers are considering—either under construction, planned or prospective—in that area come to fruition, the city could see its inventory increase by more than 70 percent. There are 30 properties underway that will add 6,488 units, with 56 more planned that will add 36,582 units and another 76 in the works that could add 20,040 units.