November 22, 2009 – A proposal to build three hotels on North Clark Street has been approved by the Chicago Plan Commission. Meeting on November 19, the Commission approved a project by Friedman Properties to bring 621 hotel rooms to River North.

The design was modified last month based on feedback from River North residents. 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly says negotiations with developers resulted in improvements to an internal driveway between the hotels.

According to a newsletter from Reilly’s office, the changes were “engineered to handle all valet, guest loading and unloading as well as daily deliveries…and a redesign of key portions of the facades that better contemplates the architectural language of the broader River North community.”

The project still needs zoning approval. The city council’s zoning committee will hear the proposal on Tuesday.

Another Friedman project, a 700-space environmentally-friendly parking garage on West Kinzie Street, is still scheduled to open on December 1.

 Related story: Design tweaks for North Clark hotel project