The Chicago Plan Commission approved on Thursday a 13-story apartment and retail tower at 1330 E. 53rd St. that supporters and foes alike say will alter the character of the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Chicago-based Mesa Development, LLC submitted plans for the modular tower that will include 30,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor, 218 parking spaces on the second and third floors, and 267 apartment units in the remaining stories. The property, which is owned by the University of Chicago, is currently the site of a Mobile gas station.