It’s been quite a while since we first noticed that Letizia’s was coming to Logan Square, but still there are no luscious treats to be had. Still not open.
A couple of weeks ago I went by there and there seemed to be a private party happening, so I assumed that it was a pre-opening party and it would soon be rolling. But still no yumminess to be had!
In this interegnum, I thought I would take a dig-through on EveryBlock (and some other sources) about the history of the project
Thanks to Google Street View for a picture of what the building used to look like:
The building was re-zoned from RS-3 (single family) to B3-2 (“Community shopping – destination oriented, no limit on size of commercial establishment. Allows dwelling units above ground floor.”)
Thanks to the once-wonderful Chicago Audio Journal for the change detail (obtained by recording and listenting to obscure City Council meetings).
Thanks also to Central Lakeview Neighbors for this nifty PDF– Chicago Zoning Code Summary that provides an amazing amount of detail re: lot area, setbacks, and back yard area guidelines.
The City of Chicago provides building permit info on a monthly basis. If you click around in there, you are bound to find interesting random details about developments near you. One thing that was interesting about this build-out was that they didn’t tear down the building; they just stripped it down and built on top of it:
INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR ALTERATIONS TO EXISTING 2-STORY FRAME BUILDING WITH BASEMENT, AND CONSTRUCT NEW ONE STORY MASONRY ADDITION WITH ROOF DECK INCLUDING ELEC, PLBG, HVAC,AND TRASH ENCLOSURE. 1ST FLOOR BUSINESS USE AND 2ND FLOOR REMODEL TWO EXISTING DWEL
Back in April they decided to change up their stairs:
REVISION TO PERMIT 10028160 ISSUED 6/30/09 TO CHANGE STAIRS TO BSMT AND ADD STL STAIR FROM ROOF DECK TO GRADE PER PLANS, ALL CONTRACTORS REMAIN THE SAME. SUBJECT TO FIELD INSPECTION
The purchase of the building itself was $1.2 million. The total estimated cost of all four of their building permits is $140,000. That’s a lotta espresso.
Anyway, I’m very much looking forward to this place opening up. I know that it’s a really complex matter to turn an old-ish frame building into a decked-out green building restaurant. I just like to know things!