These fuckwad NIMBY's are too funny. Read and laugh (or cry) at this pitiful, mindless nonsense:
http://www.chicagojournal.com/main.a...88&TM=83777.48
Bank shrinks Ashland plan
American Eagle Bank says plan may change again
By BILL MAYEROFF, Contributing Writer
Residents of the Chicago-Grand area expressed concern at a meeting last Thursday that a proposed bank at 700 N. Ashland will be too tall and contribute to parking problems in the area.
Though residents were concerned about a lack of parking, architect Peter Mayer of Mayer Jeffers Gillespie Architects said the plans include an underground parking garage for people living in the 27 residential units that will sit on top of the American Eagle Bank headquarters.
"The bulk of the parking is reached by a one-way ramp off the alley [between Huron and Superior]," said Mayer, adding that the parking garage will exit onto Superior. In addition, he said, 15 parking spaces will be marked for neighborhood use. First Ward Alderman Manny Flores would like to see most of the spaces dedicated to the Erie Neighborhood House at 1701 W. Superior, along with two spaces dedicated to the I-Go Car Sharing program.
"I can tell you, we've been very bullish on this in the First Ward," Flores said. "It's another tool in the toolbox."
Flores asked the bank to include public parking in its plan, but it will not eliminate all the parking problems in the area, he said. Though residents were concerned that the development might cause some traffic problems, Mayer and Flores were confident that it would not.
"It's the type of traffic that would flow," Flores said.
The new plan dropped a story from the original planned six-story building, and Mayer says the top floor in the new proposal will not be a full floor.
"There is a partial fifth floor," Mayer said, adding that only the fourth-floor condominiums will have access to it and that it is set back from the street and will open onto a private roof deck.
But one resident was concerned that even a partial fifth floor will make the building too big. Peter Frisbee, who lives at 1817 W. Ohio, says that if the bank is allowed to build a five-story building, it would set a precedent for development on Ashland. 
"I don't know how you're addressing this, but you're really opening up a Pandora's Box," Frisbee said. "Five stories is too big."
Frisbee said he believes that if the bank insists on having a partial fifth floor, it needs to be set back farther from Ashland. He also expressed concerns that the bank was not adhering to zoning codes. "The problem is that no one can seem to stick to the zoning code as is," he said after the meeting.
Frisbee was not alone in his concern.
Bart Lysy, who lives across from the nearby Goldblatts Building, said by phone Monday that he went out to the site to imagine what it might look like when complete.
(But wait guys, it gets better, check this out):
"I suppose that when it's actually there, it will look quite large," he said. "I'm sure it's going to change the scale of the area." He also thinks the city should have looked at options other than a bank for the site.
"My personal opinion is that we don't need another bank," he said. "We need a good library." But Lysy believes the architect did what he could to make the building seem less imposing and that it would be fairly simple to reduce the height. "They could reduce the height by just eliminating the duplex," he said. 
Brian Podszuweit, who lives down the block from the site, said he's not worried.
"It's huge," Podszuweit said after the meeting. "It's a beautiful building."
He said he would rather see a bigger, well-designed building there than vacant lots. The site currently houses a used car dealership and an empty lot that is slated to be turned into three single-family houses. Podszuweit said he is not afraid of more five-story buildings appearing in the area.
"If they all are built with the architectural detail this is, I'm all for it," he said.
Flores also disagreed with Frisbee's assessment, saying that if there were no plans for a bank at that site, it would become a five or six story parking garage.
"That's the context in which this development was created," Flores said, adding that there is a restrictive covenant in the plan that requires the bank to build it exactly as renderings show.
"All things being equal, I think this development strikes the balance we're looking for," Flores said. But he said after the meeting that all the different opinions must be considered before approving the plans.
"You need to be thoughtful; take your time on the development," Flores said. "What the building will look like is an important consideration."
American Eagle Bank president Gregory Whipple agreed and said all opinions would be considered before finalizing anything.
"It's personal taste," Whipple said. "We can tweak this a little bit." He added that because of suggestions from residents, there will likely be a coffee shop in the retail space in the lot north of the alley - but not a Starbucks.
"We'd kind of like to have more of a local flavor," Whipple said.