The Skokie Plan Commission unanimously voted to approve a five-story, 66-unit apartment building in the village’s “Swift District” near the CTA Yellow Line Oakton station at its Sept. 18 meeting.
The building, proposed to be built at 8201 Skokie Blvd., joins a string of other mid-rise buildings that are slated to be built, or have already been built, along Skokie Boulevard near Oakton Street. The proposal is the fourth building planned for the corridor, soon to have nearly 200 apartment units.
The developments are also in close proximity to downtown Skokie and the Illinois Science + Technology Park, and part of the village’s long term plans to revitalize Downtown Skokie’s Oakton Street.
The 8201 Skokie Boulevard proposal includes six affordable units for renters who earn less than 60% of the Chicago area median income, which per U.S. HUD guidelines means a cap of $57,600 for a household of two or $71,940 for a household of four. The proposal is double Skokie’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requirement for new developments, which require three of the apartments to be rented at affordable rates.
The apartments will consist of four three-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom units, 12 one-bedroom units and two studio apartments.
The first floor of the building will be for commercial space and amenities for residents and have covered parking. The building’s basement will also have parking, storage space and bike parking, for a total of 72 parking spaces between the basement and ground floor. An additional 12 parking spaces will face the alley.
The plans passed the Plan Commission with little discussion, with Chairman Paul Luke noting that the development’s total parking spaces are slightly less than typically mandated under the village’s code, because the development is across the street from the CTA Oakton stop.
Nick Ftikas, an attorney representing the development on behalf of the Chicago law firm Samuel Banks, said at the meeting that 2,100 feet of commercial space on the first floor could be subdivided. Developer Jody Libman said he is considering moving his office space to the building once it is built.
Per village documents, the 8201 Skokie Boulevard site used to have a car dealership until it was sold off in the 1990s. The village bought the vacated property along with 8143 Skokie Boulevard for $1.7 million in 2017, per previous reporting. In 2018, the village hired a demolition team to raze the structures with an eye to future development.
Last year, the Village Board approved a redevelopment agreement with the Chicago-based developer, approving the village’s sale of the property to the developer for $680,000, per previous reporting. The developer will be eligible to receive up to $450,000 in tax increment financing funds from the village to build the mixed-use development.
Previous proposals for the site included an eight-story, 156-unit apartment building and a five-story, 32-unit apartment building.
A five-story apartment building with 40 apartments at 8025 Skokie Boulevard was the first building to break ground and open in that area. Earlier this year, the Village Board approved plans for a five-story, 20-apartment building at 8101 Skokie Blvd. In 2023, the village green-lit a five-story, mixed-use building containing 56 apartments at 8047 Skokie Blvd. Last year, the village opened the door for interested developers to submit proposals for a similar building to be built at 8143 Skokie Blvd.