By Andrew McIntyre

Law360 (February 9, 2021, 4:55 PM EST) -- Parties working on JDL Development's One Chicago project have realized new efficiencies when it comes to virtual collaboration amid the pandemic and construction is on schedule, thanks to assistance from various law firms.

The 2.2 million-square-foot, two-tower project will have a mix of for-sale and for-rent residences as well as retail space. The taller tower is slated to rise to 971 feet, making it the tallest project under construction in Illinois, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

DLA Piper has done considerable land-use work for JDL on the project at 1 W. Chicago Ave., while Brown Udell Pomerantz & Delrahim Ltd. helped the developer early on with its purchase of the site.


During the COVID-19 pandemic, construction has been deemed an essential business in Chicago, and people involved with the project say JDL has put in place various safety protocols to ensure worker safety at the development site.

"When the pandemic hit, they had to do some planning ... [but JDL has] missed very few days of construction," said Paul Shadle, a partner at DLA Piper who helped JDL get city approval for the tower. "JDL put in place very careful daily monitoring protocols to ensure safety. They've been able to maintain their schedule."

Robert Stone, chief operating officer at JDL Development, told Law360 that JDL could not comment on the project.

Architects echoed Shadle's comments on the project pushing ahead during the pandemic.

"You have to be conscious of how many people are in an elevator. It hasn't impacted us so much, compared to New York, where construction was put on hold. In Chicago, construction was never put on hold," said Joachim Schuessler, a principal at Goettsch Partners, which designed the taller of the two towers at the project. "The builders have to be conscious about how many people are in certain spaces."

And while the project was able to continue construction last year amid the pandemic, experts say nonconstruction work on the project also continued seamlessly, thanks to the ease of doing such work remotely.

"One of the benefits of the pandemic that we're seeing ... is that being connected digitally, we can all work together in real time," said Sophie Bidek, a partner at Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, which designed the project's smaller tower and did other design work. "Everyone's plugged in, staring at their computer, and it's easy to get people's attention."

Of course, a project of this scope requires years of planning.

Brown Udell was involved early on helping JDL buy the site from the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the firm subsequently has helped JDL draft and review various documents, including a review of construction loan documentation, partner Glenn Udell told Law360.

Shadle, for his part, got involved in 2017, and worked for upward of a year to get the project approved in early 2018. JDL broke ground in 2019.

"The city was a really good partner," Shadle said. "There was a robust community review process."

One obstacle was getting permission from the city to build more density than the site was zoned for, since JDL sought to build 2.2 million square feet in a single city block.

Design was another challenge. Early plans called for three towers, but the project now has two, known as Towers A and C. Goettsch Partners designed the core and shell of the taller Tower A, while Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture designed Tower C as well as the interiors of both buildings and the retail area.

The mix of uses was also a challenge, since the building has rental and for-sale units as well as retail space that Whole Foods Market Inc. and Lifetime Fitness are taking. The project also has parking for roughly 1,000 vehicles.

"We were brought on for our expertise on tall building design," Schuessler said. "We're not involved on a day-to-day basis now. We're involved on a weekly basis now."

The project's location also posed difficulties. It's across the street from a prominent Chicago cathedral, and the designers made the decision to set the tower back roughly 40 feet from the street and create a small park between the tower and the cathedral in order to have some separation, Schuessler said.

The taller of the two towers has 292 apartments and 79 condominiums.

"The most challenging aspect was coordination. There are ... residential units of varying sizes and scope," Bidek said, speaking about the combined two-tower project. "There are units that are for sale and units that are for rent. There are two large retail tenants ... both of whom are doing their own buildout."

But with all the plans in place and the construction well underway when the pandemic hit, JDL has been able to forge ahead amid COVID-19.

Tower A now rises to level 59, and JDL expects it to top out at level 78 in May.

"It was under construction when the pandemic hit and it has stayed under construction," Bidek said. "Luckily, in Chicago, construction was able to continue. [JDL] pivoted really well."

JDL is represented on land use matters by Paul Shadle of DLA Piper.

JDL had counsel on the site acquisition from Glenn Udell and Michael Delrahim of Brown Udell Pomerantz & Delrahim Ltd.

--Editing by Alanna Weissman and Marygrace Murphy.

This is the third article in a five-part series that looks at the tallest towers under construction in five states. The prior story looked at Oceanwide Center in San Francisco, and the next article looks at the tallest tower underway in Florida.

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