A New Chapter for Milwaukee Avenue: 60-Unit Apartment Building Proposed for Bucktown Strip Mall Site
By Socialhood News · Bucktown ·
A stretch of Milwaukee Avenue that Bucktown residents have long known as a modest strip mall may be on the verge of a major transformation. A proposal to replace the shopping plaza at 1704 N. Milwaukee Ave. with a seven-story, 60-unit mixed-use apartment building has been introduced to the Chicago City Council, putting one of the neighborhood's most visible commercial corridors squarely at the center of a development conversation that could reshape it for a generation.
The proposal, reported by Block Club Chicago in January 2026, would bring a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments to a site that currently houses a low-slung strip mall along one of the North Side's most walkable and commercially active streets. Twelve of the 60 units would be designated as affordable housing, in keeping with the city's inclusionary zoning requirements — a meaningful provision for a neighborhood where housing costs have climbed steadily alongside its reputation as a destination.
The site at 1704 N. Milwaukee Ave. sits along a stretch of the corridor that runs through the heart of the Wicker Park-Bucktown commercial district, a dense concentration of independent retailers, restaurants, and coffee shops that draws foot traffic from across the city. The Blue Line's Damen station is nearby, and The 606 Bloomingdale Trail is within easy walking distance — two transit and recreational anchors that have consistently driven residential and commercial investment in the surrounding blocks over the past decade.
For neighbors who have watched the strip mall age in place while the rest of Milwaukee Avenue evolved around it, the proposal represents the kind of infill development that Bucktown's geography has been priming for years. A seven-story building at this location would bring meaningful residential density to a site currently underutilizing one of the neighborhood's prime commercial-transit corridors, and the mixed-income unit mix signals a project designed to serve a range of residents rather than just the top of the market.
The introduction to City Council is only the opening move in what will likely be a months-long community review and approval process. Neighbors and local organizations will have opportunities to weigh in as the proposal advances, and the Bucktown Community Organization at bucktown.org is the best place to track those conversations as they develop. The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce at wickerparkbucktown.com is also a reliable source for commercial corridor updates as the project moves through the city's planning process.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood's incoming business calendar is already filling out further ahead. Event listings indicate that Dēliz, a new concept, is slated to open in Bucktown in December 2026 — adding to a fall and winter season that has already seen considerable commercial activity along the neighborhood's main corridors. Details on Dēliz remain limited as the opening approaches, but it represents one more arrival in what has been a sustained run of new operators choosing Bucktown as their next address.
Taken together, the Milwaukee Avenue development proposal and the steady drumbeat of new business arrivals reflect a neighborhood navigating growth with its identity intact. Bucktown has always been a place where independent operators and long-term residents coexist alongside the pressures of a rising market — and the conversations now beginning around 1704 N. Milwaukee Ave. will be an important test of how that balance holds as density and demand continue to climb. If you want to stay current on the development proposal, follow the Bucktown Community Organization at bucktown.org and watch for community meetings as the City Council review process advances.
Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/01/27/proposed-7-story-bucktown-apartment-building-moving-forward-in-city-council/
2. https://do312.com/p/new-businesses-restaurants-in-chicago