LOGAN SQUARE — A plan to build a large housing complex on the Pierre’s Bakery site is moving forward.

On Friday, property owner Michael Fox of R.P. Fox & Associates was issued a city permit to construct a six-story development with 60 residential units and four ground-floor retail spaces at 2755 N. Milwaukee Ave., according to Chicago Cityscape, which tracks city permits. It will cost an estimated $7 million.

The development will replace the pastel-pink Pierre’s Bakery building, which has sat mostly empty since the bakery closed in 2013.

The plan sparked controversy in the neighborhood when it was first proposed in 2017, with some residents, community leaders and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) calling on Fox to include affordable housing to mitigate the effects of gentrification.

Other neighbors voiced support for the project, however. They said they’d prefer to see a development instead of a vacant building in the hot neighborhood.



Driven by what he described as a desire to “keep Logan Square eclectic and diverse,” Ramirez-Rosa tried to block the project by introducing an ordinance that would’ve changed the zoning of the site, but the legislation never advanced.

Fox isn’t required to include affordable housing: The city’s affordable requirements ordinance doesn’t apply to his project because it’s not on city land and doesn’t require new zoning or financial assistance from the city.

It’s unclear if Fox plans to include affordable housing. The developer didn’t respond to a request for comment Monday.

A demolition permit has not yet been issued for the Pierre’s Bakery building.

In recent years, more than 1,000 new luxury apartments and condos have been built in Logan Square.

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