Brian J. Rogal

Brian J. Rogal is a lifelong Chicagoan if you count a childhood spent in the suburbs. The Bucktown resident is a graduate of DePaul University and then spent several years as an investigative reporter with The Chicago Reporter, mostly writing about the CHA’s transformation. He has covered commercial real estate full-time since 2013.

A resident waits to go out into the cold at The Leland Apartments, one of Heartland Housing’s largest properties, in Chicago on Feb. 4, 2025. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

Uptown residents breathe sigh of relief after Heartland Housing’s Leland Apartments gets reprieve from the auction block

February 5, 2025 at 10:44 a.m.

City and state officials hammered out a plan for Mercy Housing, an affordable housing nonprofit that owns and operates dozens of Chicagoland properties, to take over the 1920s-era Leland.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell walks out after a news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Fed stands pat on interest rates, ending a string of cuts that could have boosted downtown development

January 29, 2025 at 6:27 p.m.

Developers say new downtown construction won’t grind to a halt. Some projects will score financing and the number of apartments completed in the neighborhood is expected to increase in 2026...

A conceptual rendering of 1840 N. Marcey St. by Sterling Bay, which could bring 615 new apartments to the western edge of Lincoln Park, but the local alderman and many residents say the $340 million proposal is too dense for the neighborhood. (Sterling Bay, SCB)

In a first-of-a-kind move under a new zoning provision, developer will make last-ditch effort to gain approval for Lincoln Park towers

January 27, 2025 at 8:17 a.m.

A 2022 zoning reform ensures some developers get an up-or-down vote if local opposition delays approval.

Brian J. Rogal

All Stories

Uptown residents breathe sigh of relief after Heartland Housing’s Leland Apartments gets reprieve from the auction block

Fed stands pat on interest rates, ending a string of cuts that could have boosted downtown development

In a first-of-a-kind move under a new zoning provision, developer will make last-ditch effort to gain approval for Lincoln Park towers

Bulls’ and Blackhawks’ plan to begin remaking the neighborhood surrounding United Center wins commission approval

Houston-based developer pays $148M for Evanston complex as apartment boom gets underway

Fate of endangered State Street historic buildings still hangs in the balance as feds weigh security needs

New York-based realtor acquires local giant @properties and Christie’s International in $444 million deal

Women’s clothing store Aritzia opening Magnificent Mile flagship Saturday

Uptown at risk of losing big chunk of affordable housing in wake of Heartland Housing’s collapse

Creation of quantum computer research park on South Works site wins Chicago Plan Commission approval