Riverline's Second Residential Tower Secures Foundation Permit

• CMK Companies' second Riverline tower at 910 South Wells Street got its pile permit on July 14, after sitting in the Chicago Data Portal since February 2025.
• The permit calls for 225 piles driven roughly 77 feet down, at a reported cost of $1.25 million.
• The 28-story tower will hold 350 units, 137 parking spaces, and 3,300 square feet of retail.
• Next door, the first Riverline tower has climbed from the underside of its 6th floor to its 11th in about five weeks.

The Permit: 225 Piles, 77 Feet Down

The City of Chicago issued the foundation permit for 910 South Wells Street on July 14, clearing CMK Companies to start pile driving on the second residential tower in its Riverline development. The permit had been pending since February 2025. It calls for 225 piles driven to an approximate depth of 77 feet, with a reported cost of $1.25 million. A separate application for the tower's full building permit, filed January 14, remains under review.

The 28-story building will rise on what is currently a surface parking lot immediately north of 1010 South Wells, the first Riverline tower. Designed by Gensler and built by general contractor Brandts Build, the same team behind 1010 South Wells, the tower is set to stand 314 feet tall with 350 residential units, 137 parking spaces, and 3,300 square feet of ground-floor retail. No timeline has been announced for when pile driving or vertical construction will actually start, and CMK hasn't said whether it will begin before 1010 South Wells is finished.

Next Door, the First Tower Is Climbing Fast

While 910 South Wells waits on a construction start date, its neighbor is moving. Brandts Build has pushed 1010 South Wells past its three-story podium and into the tower's 18 residential levels. As of a July 8 site visit, the structure had reached the underside of the 11th floor, up from the underside of the 6th floor on June 3, five floors in about five weeks. The 21-story building will bring 386 apartments, roughly 2,900 square feet of retail, and 182 parking spaces to the corridor once complete.

Riverline's Long Road to Two Towers Rising at Once

Riverline traces back to a $2 billion, Lendlease-partnered mega-development that CMK split apart in 2018, keeping the south parcel along the Chicago River between Polk Street and Roosevelt Road for itself while Lendlease took the north side, now Southbank. Announcing the split, CMK founder and president Colin Kihnke pointed to the firm's track record with its build partner:

"There's a longstanding relationship, and a lot of respect."

Nearly a decade later, that patience is paying off with two towers advancing at once instead of one long-stalled site.

What's Next

With the pile permit in hand, 910 South Wells can break ground whenever CMK is ready, though the more immediate action is next door: 1010 South Wells still has ten floors to go before topping out, with leasing targeted for 2027. Expect the next milestone to be a construction start date for 910 South Wells or a tower-topping update on its neighbor, whichever comes first.