A pair of local developers wants to build more than 90 luxury apartments in Lake View, reviving a building that’s sat vacant since the departure of a longtime family business.
The site is the former Torstenson Glass facility, 3233 N. Sheffield Ave. The glass company left the building in late 2024, after more than 100 years at the location, for suburban Morton Grove.
North Park Ventures and SNS Realty Group, which are both based in Chicago, announced their redevelopment plans Aug. 1. Neither firm responded to a request for interview.
The site spans from 3233 to 3247 N. Sheffield Ave., and would need to be rezoned to make way for the apartments. The building would abut the L tracks, where the Belmont Red, Brown and Purple Line station sits to the south.
The project would replace two other low-level buildings on Sheffield Avenue in addition to the former glass warehouse.
The project, dubbed Sheffield Apartments, would transform the site into a five-story luxury apartment building with 92 units. It’d also include 25 parking spaces and 80 bike spaces, according to plans from the developer.
Units would be limited to one- and two-bedroom apartments, with 14 units set aside as affordable under the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance. Amenities would include a fitness center, club room and bike room. Plans also show an occupiable roof deck.
The project, dubbed Sheffield Apartments, would transform the site of the former Torstenson Glass building into a five-story luxury apartment building with 92 units. It’d also include 25 parking spaces and 80 bike spaces, according to plans from the developer.
North Park Ventures and SNS Realty Group
The East Lake View Neighbors association held a community meeting in early August for residents to provide feedback on the proposal, which still awaits city approval for rezoning.
John McCarthy, vice president of the neighborhood group, said the meeting was well-attended, with many residents in support of the project.
The proposal would be classified as a transit-oriented development — a “real selling point” in a neighborhood that has a lot of density and could still use more, McCarthy said.
“It’s very much appreciated in East Lake View, where the housing situation is very tight,” McCarthy said. “It’s really great that they’re doing something that is connected to transit. The transit is right there in the backyard.”
Commercial real estate firm CBRE was marketing the property for sale with no set sale price. In a brochure for the property, CBRE called the Torstenson site an “exceptionally rare” redevelopment opportunity in the Lake View-Wrigleyville corridor. It’s the first time the property has been for sale in more than 60 years, according to CBRE.
Property records do not show the building being sold to North Park Ventures, SNS Realty Group or an affiliate of either firm yet.
In a December 2024 message to customers, Torstenson Glass announced its move from Chicago to Morton Grove. The family-run business moved to Sheffield Avenue in 1910, staying there for 114 years. The company was located in Chicago for 135 years total and spent all of that time in Lake View.
Torstenson’s move to Morton Grove was completed in February 2025, according to the company’s website.