Plans to Rehab Former Buca di Beppo Site in Motion (PHOTOS)

Developers are moving forward with plans to overhaul the former Buca di Beppo restaurant in East Lake View, Ald. Tom Tunney’s (44th) office confirmed.

The 92-year-old building at 2941 N. Clark St. once housed the Italian restaurant chain before it closed in 2006. It was sold not long after for $2 million in 2007, according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

But now, after a long wait, the vacant eye sore could be under construction as early as this summer.

“They are planning a one story medical clinic with the possibility of adding a second floor if demand is there,” said Tunney’s Chief of Staff Bennett Lawson. “… They don’t have architectural drawings, but will likely have them in a month and then move forward with permits.”

Lawson said the owner has been holding on to the almost 11,000-square-foot parcel of land for some time. He added the medical space would be all internal medicine and maybe a psychiatrist, and that no zoning changes are required.

“We’re anxious to see the site re-activated and glad they have plans to get rolling this summer,” said Lawson.

The older building has received criticism from neighbors in the past, with some questioning its safety. Tunney’s Director of Communications Erin Duffy, however, said the alderman’s office recently sent an inspector to the former restaurant and everything looks good.

Redeveloping the dilapidated storefront would also tie in with the newly formed Clark Street planning committee, a group that’s working an urban planning team to create a comprehensive study of Clark Street between Diversey Parkway and Barry Avenue.

The process, which is aimed at making the stretch more pedestrian and business friendly, is expected to take almost half a year.

Design team The Lakota Group, who is also redesigning Six Corners in Portage Park, recently met with representatives with the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, Tunney office, and the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, among others.

The Lakota Group’s urban study, which will be broken up into three phases, will include things like community involvement and neighborhood open houses. The final strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by June.

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