Michaels Organization Gets $28.8M Permit for 51 West Side Units

The Michaels Organization holds a $28.8 million city permit, issued Sept. 16, for a 51-unit affordable building at 136 N. Kedzie Ave. on Chicago’s West Side.

Why it matters

The Michaels Organization, a New Jersey-based developer and owner of affordable housing with properties in dozens of states, is the permitted owner behind a 5-story mixed-use building rising at 136 N. Kedzie Ave. in East Garfield Park. The city issued the new-construction permit Sept. 16, 2026, roughly five weeks before this edition, for a project carrying a declared cost of $28.8 million. A full building permit of this size, backed by a developer with Michaels’ national footprint, is a concrete step for new affordable supply in East Garfield Park.

The numbers

Permit #101078161 (City of Chicago Department of Buildings, Building Permits dataset) covers a full building permit for a 5-story mixed-use structure with ground-floor commercial and office space atop 51 affordable dwelling units, plus 12 indoor parking spaces, a trash enclosure and green roofs. The declared project cost of $28,795,046 is the applicant-stated figure on the permit, not a sale price. The Michaels Organization is listed as owner/contact; architect of record is Mark R. Peters; general contractor is Skender-Ashlaur Joint Venture LLC. The site spans two parcels, PINs 1611412033 and 1611412060, in the 28th Ward. Consultant reviewer on file is Globetrotters Engineering, and the permit is classified Type IIIA construction under occupancy groups A-2, A-3, B, M, R-2 and U.

What’s next

The permit’s status is listed as active, with the milestone “permit issued, fee due,” meaning the city has approved the scope but final fees were still outstanding as of the record date. The permit’s own condition notes the site was amended to B3-3 zoning under City Council ordinance O2525-0020567, passed Nov. 4, 2025, with administrative adjustment and variation approvals. With a contractor team already assigned, including joint-venture general contractor Skender-Ashlaur and electrical subcontractor Jolen Electric, the project is staffed for construction. The next marker is the permit fee being paid and work starting on a site planned for 51 affordable units. More at the Chicago hub.