DUNNING — Plans for a four-story apartment building near Harlem and Waveland avenues, which had been criticized by neighbors as too big for the area and too close to nearby homes, have been put on hold, a representative of the developer said Tuesday.

Zitella Development Corp. will put the proposal to build a 30-apartment building at 3636 N. Harlem Ave., on the back burner in response to the complaints, said Mark Kupiec, who represents Zitella.

"This will simplify things," Kupiec said.

Heather Cherone explains how neighbors' complaints have halted the project:

The firm will focus on another project and won't ask city officials for special permission to build the Harlem Avenue project, Kupiec said.

The company had planned to ask city officials to cut by half the amount of space it is required to leave between the proposed 30-apartment building and the single-family homes behind it on Oconto Avenue.

The building would have had 32 indoor parking spaces on the first floor.

Ald. Tim Cullerton (38th) said he was pleased the development had been put on hold. Cullerton said last week he would not support the request for the exception from the zoning ordinance because of complaints from Dunning residents.

In response to the complaints, Cullerton has proposed changing the zoning for the entire area between Waveland and Addison avenues along Harlem Avenue to prevent a similar project from being proposed in the future.

Although the proposed development is now in the 36th Ward — represented by Ald. Nicholas Sposato — it will be in the 38th Ward when the new ward map takes effect after the 2015 aldermanic elections. Although the new map has been challenged in court, city officials have begun following it in matters of zoning.