Big plans for Moody property

The area is roughly bounded by CTA Brown Line tracks on the west, Oak Street on the north, Wells Street on the east, and Locust Street on the south.

October 11, 2020 – A Chicago developer is seeking approval from the City of Chicago for a project that could include as many as 3,950 residential units and 30,000 square feet of retail space on an eight-acre site north of Moody Bible Institute’s main campus.

JDL Development wants to build out the site at 820 North LaSalle Drive in River North. It would be one of the largest residential development projects on the North Side, housing more than five million square feet of built space.

The Christian college put ten acres of land up for sale in July 2019 after owning it for more than a century.

Steven Dahlman is the editor and publisher of Loop North News. With over 40 years of experience as a journalist and 20 years as a commercial photographer, his career includes work as a radio news director, reporter, and anchor. He is the co-author of three books on Chicago’s evolution, including Chicago’s River: At Work And At Play and Changing Chicago: A Portrait in Postcards and Photos. His first solo book, Marina City: The Definitive History of a Chicago Landmark, is scheduled for publication by Trope Publishing Co. on October 28, 2026.