Tallest Building In Downtown Skokie Breaks Ground

SKOKIE, IL — Village officials broke ground Thursday at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. It's the site of "8000 North," due to become the tallest building in downtown Skokie at 136 feet. Underground site work is well underway for the 12-story mixed-used development, the first apartment building built from the ground up in decades in Skokie, according to the village.

The project is expected to cost more than $64 million and include 153 luxury apartments and 15,000 square foot of retail space on the ground floor. It has been designed by Chicago-based firm Lucien Lagrange Studio – the architects behind Chicago's Waldorf Astoria, Ritz Carlton and the renovation of the Hard Rock Hotel. The development group is composed of Greenspire capital, Pontarelli & Company and Hoffman Homes.

Mayor George Van Dusen said the groundbreaking marks an exciting chapter in the transformation of downtown Skokie.

“The Village Board’s patience in waiting for a premier development for this important site has been rewarded by the excellence presented by the 8000 North development team and the economic growth the project brings to Skokie,” Van Dusen said.

The site has been vacant since the former Desiree restaurant shuttered, its memorable neon sign deactivated before the two-story, century-old building was purchased by the village for $1.7 million and demolished in 2013.

The 8000 North project was introduced last September and has since received unanimous approvals from the village's appearance and plan commissions and village board before trustees agreed to sell the land to developers for $1.5 million. The developers said the new building would add residents and retail to complement the growing number of new businesses in the area.

“The 8000 North building will be instrumental in defining the future of Downtown Skokie as an even more vibrant area," said Norm Hassinger of the project's development team. “The 8000 North development’s transitional architecture both honors the past while incorporating contemporary architectural elements that will stand the test of time and serve as a benchmark for future development in Downtown Skokie."

Skokie's village attorney said the village had spent "countless hours" negotiating the agreement for the development that "would not be feasible without financial assistance" from taxpayers, Pioneer Press reported in March. Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge said would spur commercial and residential growth and generate new sales taxes from a piece of land that has been vacant for "many, many years."

A development agreement approved in February gives the developer use of nearly $6 million in funding from tax increment finance accounts to pay for construction. The Skokie Village Board also agreed to issue $10.2 million in general obligation bonds to pay for the project, according to the Skokie Review. The village would also pay to build an attached five-story garage on the site, which would be leased the the developer and purchased a decade later.

More than 200 people attended the ceremonial groundbreaking, according to the Skokie Review. Prior to posing for photos, Van Dusen fondly remembered Desiree, the former restaurant at the site that shuttered about a decade ago.

"It was always a place to gather," Van Dusen said, noting it was always a place for village officials to meet to hash out problems at early morning breakfasts.

Monthly rents in the new apartment building will range between $1,400 for a studio unit to about $4,000 for a three-bedroom on the top floor, according to the village. Construction is anticipated to be complete by December 2019.

Related:

• Skokie's Plans For 'Luxury Rental Community' Downtown Take Shape
• Commission Approves Plans For 12-Story Luxury Apartment
• Former Desiree Restaurant Will Meet Wrecking Ball