CHICAGO | General Developments

[Via Chicago]

While it is painful, what I think we are seeing right now is entire swaths of the city clearing out and being primed for redevelopment.

This is undoubtedly true but I think we've all been in this city long enough to know how often that promise has fallen short (from Michael Reese on down to the Merc). I'd rather hold out on the promise of rehabilitation down the line than erase the potential for it entirely before its potential can even be assessed.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

This is undoubtedly true but I think we've all been in this city long enough to know how often that promise has fallen short (from Michael Reese on down to the Merc). I'd rather hold out on the promise of rehabilitation down the line than erase the potential for it entirely before its potential can even be assessed.

I am by no means in favor of wholesale demolition, I'm talking about the demographic and economic changes we are seeing. Demolition, in my mind, is generally a painful, but expected, symptom of those shifts. You can't have entire populations leaving in droves (as African Americans are) and not expect associated tear downs in those areas until some other population moves into those areas and replaces them.

[ardecila]

The problem I see is that what works in the medium-term to revitalize neighborhoods doesn't necessarily work in the longer term to create sustainable urbanism. A bunch of fly-by-night developers throwing up an ever-expanding carpet of three-flats isn't gonna produce the kind of spiky, TOD urbanism the city needs.

I've seen some promising stuff on the south lakefront like the Lake Meadows masterplan, but I think the vast majority of the future Bronzeville/Kenwood/Douglas development wave will be heavily auto-dependent, with huge roads like King and LSD and mediocre transit access to downtown with even worse crosstown options. Places like Pilsen are isolated enough for millennials who want to maintain social circles in Bucktown, Logan Square, and Lakeview. Try getting to a bar on Southport from your apartment at 43rd and Lake Park.

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

Im not delusional. I fully realize we're looking at a generational timeline. You mention Pilsen as a success story but that was hardly a given until quite recently.

I think the question of if a vacant lot is preferable to a well boarded vacant building is open for debate. Also, lets not forget that there are still people who live in these communities who care deeply about them. Its easy to pontificate about whats "best" from a downtown condo. Not saying thats necessarily you, but for once I think it would be interesting to, you know, actually ask the residents what it is THEY want. If the city really wanted to push development and aid, they could...instead we funnel millions of tax dollars to build corporate HQ's.

As an aside, someone else made a comment about the cost of building materials being so low that it encourages this kind of waste. I kind of wonder if we lived in a world where that wasnt the case if people would be better stewards of what we already have.

I agree with you its such a shame that these buildings are going to waste. If these buildings were somehow preserved and giving to sold at very very very low prices to new owners, I believe that these communities would be more able to be revived.

[the urban politician]

^ Hell, even if you sold me a vacant, brick 3 flat in Englewood for $1, the cost of rehabbing it alone still probably wouldn't be worth it.

The whole issue is with the demographics of the area, not the cost of the building stock.

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Hell, even if you sold me a vacant, brick 3 flat in Englewood for $1, the cost of rehabbing it alone still probably wouldn't be worth it.

The whole issue is with the demographics of the area, not the cost of the building stock.

True, of course it may not work EVERYWHERE but some places it may as well be done. Honestly, I am also in full agreement with LouisVanDerWright's post, I just think that it should be a balanced approach of rehabbing, infill and demolition.

[intrepidDesign]

Anyone know what's going on at Sangamon and Washington? Used to be a parking lot, then it was fenced off, now there are cranes and big steel I beams on site. My guess it's more WL 5 story brick infill, but you never know...

[J_M_Tungsten]

Today
The Scott in Oldtown

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by intrepidDesign

Anyone know what's going on at Sangamon and Washington? Used to be a parking lot, then it was fenced off, now there are cranes and big steel I beams on site. My guess it's more WL 5 story brick infill, but you never know...

Wrote about this some pages back. The condo building next to it is expanding and creating a new 11 story, 104 apartment unit addition on that site

Here's my post from late September about it
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=20411

The permit site has been weird lately, but it's permit #100509838 issued on 9/20 for $18,737,689. Architect is Michael Cody of Fitzgerald. I can't find any renderings on their site. I guess this will technically be a high rise right?

[the urban politician]

^ Wow, the WL really is on fire. I almost want to avoid that neighborhood for a year and then visit it just to be blown away by the changes

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Kerbed reports it's topped out, but there's still some rebar sticking up. Perhaps that's for the 414-foot spire that will bring it to a total symbolic height of 1,776 barleycorns or something.

Thank you for your ascerbic satire on recent controversial events. By the way, was that a UK or the German rendition of that website's name?

------------------

A large cinderblock or concrete wall the height of the el tracks is materializing alongside (maybe 10 or 20 yards away) the Brown Line just south of Hill. There has been some construction going on for a while at that site, which is a tiny triangle inside the alignment jog that occurs just south of Division. Probably just some storage shed for CTA? They're not preparing to bulldoze that church and straighten the tracks, are they?

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

Today
The Scott in Oldtown

A view from that same exact angle found here.
http://harlemirving.com/scott-residences/

Really like the design.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by denizen467

A large cinderblock or concrete wall the height of the el tracks is materializing alongside (maybe 10 or 20 yards away) the Brown Line just south of Hill. There has been some construction going on for a while at that site, which is a tiny triangle inside the alignment jog that occurs just south of Division. Probably just some storage shed for CTA? They're not preparing to bulldoze that church and straighten the tracks, are they?

New CTA substation. If it's anything like the new one in Rogers Park (at Farwell) it'll be a pretty elaborate brick design.

With Atrium Village, Walter Payton expanding, and that new senior-housing project, that area's filling in nicely.

[Skyguy_7]

^Nailed it, Ardecila. "CTA Traction Power System Upgrades." My firm is doing the HVAC under FH Paschen. 3 similar buildings, nothing too spectacular but nice for an infrastructure project. Farwell should be completed first, then Hill. There's a third one at Arimitage, which has been delayed and wont go until late spring.

[george]

11-8

Google cold-storage, like watching grass grow.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by Hayward

A view from that same exact angle found here.
http://harlemirving.com/scott-residences/

Really like the design.

I second that - I like this a lot.....very nice infill.....

[r18tdi]

Alright folks, this a big one.

Mark your calendars, one week from today: Children's Hospital Redevelopment Community Meeting at the DePaul Student Center.

http://ward43.org/event/childrens-me...ublic-meeting/

[J_M_Tungsten]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

I second that - I like this a lot.....very nice infill.....

Definitely. It will fit in really well with the newly opened 1225 wells. I am also excited for more dining options near the division and wells intersection.

[marothisu]

Anybody else see this? Also what do you think of the building design? Not sure if this will be high rise or not but very interesting

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...tball-centric#

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Maybe one of the more unrefined designs - however conceptual - I've ever seen from Perkins + Will. Not very nice. Maybe it was just a few 'pro bono' hours spent throwing together.

This actually has one of those 'not remotely a real project' feel to it......

And that says nothing of the misplaced priorities of having a high school in this city focused on basketball and the 'basketball industry'....it's pretty sick actually - as bad as Chicago schools in general still are - and they are very bad - at educating its large majority low income urban minority student body in reading, writing, math, science and social studies, I can assure you that perhaps the one thing we need least is to divert more focus and scarce resources to getting the city's youth more interested in basketball....

At any rate, like I said, nothing about it really says 'real project'....