149 Apartments Are Coming to River North. Here’s What’s New at 310 West

310 West Cross Street — 310 West | Cross Street

RIVER NORTH— A former surface parking lot in River North has officially reached a major construction milestone.

The nine-story development at 310 W. Huron Street, now branded 310 West, has topped out, meaning the building has reached its planned structural height. Construction is continuing on the apartments, facade and interior spaces ahead of an expected spring 2027 opening.

The project will bring 149 rental apartments, approximately 3,800 square feet of ground-floor retail and a publicly accessible coffee bar to the block between Franklin and Orleans streets.

But 310 West is also part of a bigger River North story. New apartments, office conversions and increasingly transit-oriented projects are gradually adding more full-time residents to an area once defined as much by offices, nightlife and parking lots as by housing.

What’s Being Built at 310 W. Huron?

Chicago-based ZSD Corp. and joint venture partner Third Coast Real Estate are developing 310 West, with Pappageorge Haymes Partners handling the architecture. ZSD is also serving as general contractor. The building will include a mix of studios, convertibles, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments.

One of the more unusual features is a collection of 11 two-story duplex residences with private patios, giving the project several street-level homes that feel different from the typical apartment layouts found in larger Downtown towers.

Amenities are expected to include a rooftop lounge, fitness center, coworking areas, outdoor terraces, grilling stations and fire pits. The ground floor will also feature a publicly accessible coffee bar with adjacent lounge seating, creating a space designed to interact with the neighborhood rather than function exclusively as a private residential lobby.

That small detail may end up being one of the project's most noticeable additions from the sidewalk.

A Parking Lot Is Becoming Housing, Retail and Pedestrian Activity

Before construction began, the property was largely a surface parking lot stretching along Huron between Franklin and Orleans.

Replacing that land with 149 homes represents a straightforward but meaningful change in how the block functions.

Instead of a parcel used primarily for storing cars, the site will eventually have residents coming and going throughout the day, retail space at street level and a public-facing coffee bar.

The transportation plan reinforces that shift.

310 West is planned with only 21 car parking spaces, compared with 149 bicycle parking spaces. The building is also just south of the CTA's Chicago station at Franklin, which serves the Brown and Purple lines. For residents, that creates a lifestyle in which commuting Downtown, reaching other North Side neighborhoods or simply walking to River North restaurants and stores does not necessarily require a car.

That is increasingly important when evaluating new Downtown housing. Buyers and renters are not only comparing square footage and finishes. They are also deciding how easily they can reach work, restaurants, groceries, fitness, entertainment and transit from the front door.

River North Is Adding Residents in More Than One Way

310 West is new construction, but other nearby River North projects are creating housing by reusing existing buildings.

At 223 W. Erie Street, a renovation permit is allowing six former office floors to be converted into 66 apartments. And just a few blocks west, a former office building at 401 W. Ontario Street received a permit to become 57 apartments with no on-site car parking. We recently looked at that Ontario Street project in our guide to River North’s 57-unit office-to-apartment conversion.

Those developments are different from 310 West, but together they point in the same direction.

River North is continuing to add residential uses on properties previously occupied by offices, parking or other lower-density uses.

That can gradually alter the daily rhythm of a neighborhood.

An office building brings people into an area primarily during working hours. A residential building creates demand in the mornings, evenings and weekends too. More residents can support coffee shops, restaurants, fitness studios, grocery options and other services that depend on a steady local customer base.

That does not mean every new apartment building automatically transforms its surroundings. But when multiple projects happen within a relatively small area, the cumulative change becomes much more noticeable.

What Happens Next at 310 West?

Topping out is a major construction milestone, but the building is not finished yet.

Window installation and interior work are continuing, while the remaining amenity and exterior portions of the development are being completed. The project team says preleasing is expected to begin in February 2027, with the first residents scheduled to move in during spring 2027.

That makes the next few months worth watching.

Pricing has not yet been released, and the eventual retail tenants have not been announced. Those details will provide a better picture of where 310 West fits into River North's increasingly competitive rental market.

What is already clear is that the project has moved well beyond the planning stage.

310 West is under construction, has reached its full height and is now moving toward leasing.

Watching River North’s Next Wave of Development?

The Cory Tanzer Group at Option Premier helps buyers and sellers evaluate River North buildings, recent sales, HOA costs, parking, nearby construction and the development pipeline when making real estate decisions Downtown.

In a neighborhood where one block can contain a condo tower, an office conversion, a new apartment project and longtime local businesses, understanding what is happening around the property is an important part of understanding its location.

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