Edgewater's Building Boom Keeps Growing: Lakefront Synagogue Redevelopment Gets a Bold New Look

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Edgewater · May 19, 2026

Edgewater's development momentum shows no signs of slowing down, with a pair of significant projects taking exciting new shape along the neighborhood's most beloved corridors.

The biggest news comes from the lakefront, where updated plans have been revealed for the redevelopment of the Emmanuel Congregation site at 5959 N. Sheridan Road. Led by local developer Fern Hill and designed by architecture firm Eckenhoff Saunders, the revamped scheme features a multi-building design with increased density — the result of multiple community meetings and four different massing iterations. The project includes two sites: a larger lakefront parcel currently home to the congregation, and a secondary site just west of Sheridan that sits vacant today. The latest design iteration has drawn praise from architecture enthusiasts who say it's the strongest version yet, with active ground-floor uses and a thoughtful pedestrian experience baked into the plan.

Meanwhile, over on Broadway, the $71.1 million affordable housing development at 5853 N. Broadway — which secured Plan Commission approval and $22 million in TIF funding — continues to advance, promising 90 affordable apartments for the neighborhood. And at 1101 W. Berwyn, a 56-unit mixed-use building is now under construction right next to the L. Edgewater is building its future one block at a time — visit edgewater.org and chicagoyimby.com to follow along!

Sources:
1. https://chicagoyimby.com/2026/05/edgewater-redevelopment-sees-new-design-and-increased-density.html
2. https://chicago.urbanize.city/neighborhood/edgewater