CHICAGO | General Developments

[marothisu]

I was going over some permits from a month or so ago and totally missed this one:

The former 4 story school at 739 N Ada Street (Eckert Park) is going to be converted into 32 residential units. This is visible from Chicago Ave as there's a big either parking lot or recess blacktop area adjacent to the avenue. It says with attached garage and new courtyard, so I'm wondering if that blacktop is going to be built upon. Svigos Development bought the school nearly 2 years ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/73...!4d-87.6611199

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

What's up with the Megamall redevelopment? A few days ago the site was cleared but otherwise no sign of activity.

Nothing but crickets. Everyone once in a while a thunderstorm blows their entire fence over. That's pretty exciting when it happens though...

Have a feeling this one might miss the cut off in this cycle, just a little too far NW and a little too big. Even with an anchor grocery tenant signed up. Let's just hope this doesn't turn into a stand alone Jewel with a huge parking lot...

[Near North Resident]

Originally Posted by SolarWind

July 13, 2017

what are those industrial looking (black) windows called on this project? they look fantastic in person

[LouisVanDerWright]

They are probably steel frames with lots of mullions. Very similar to the old school industrial windows everyone loves, but that are basically just screen doors when it comes to insulation.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by Near North Resident

what are those industrial looking (black) windows called on this project? they look fantastic in person

They are commonly called "industrial metal sash" windows. There's probably a more accurate word. But if you told your architect you wanted this style, this is what they would propose.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Suburbia is left scrambling as firms relocate to big cities
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...716-story.html

[Kumdogmillionaire]

Good, suburbia can suffer

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Nothing but crickets. Everyone once in a while a thunderstorm blows their entire fence over. That's pretty exciting when it happens though...

Have a feeling this one might miss the cut off in this cycle, just a little too far NW and a little too big. Even with an anchor grocery tenant signed up. Let's just hope this doesn't turn into a stand alone Jewel with a huge parking lot...

Ahh damn!

I'm still pulling for it though. So close to Logan Square. Such a waste of great real estate for nothing to happen there

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Kumdogmillionaire

Good, suburbia can suffer

They didn't shed any tears when they were bleeding the city dry for half a century after WWII. What goes around comes around.

[the urban politician]

^ Why are you personifying suburbia (or the city for that matter?) as if it was some dude that sat there and laughed wickedly while the city suffered?

[left of center]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Why are you personifying suburbia (or the city for that matter?) as if it was some dude that sat there and laughed wickedly while the city suffered?

I'm personifying suburbia?

I'm merely stating that suburban residents and communities benefited greatly from wealth emptying out of the city after the interstate highway system was built in the 50's. The economic state of the city was never a top concern for them and still isn't, especially when considering all the Cook County secessionist movements that pop up every now and then. West and northern Cook communities continue to believe that they are the ones that prop up the county economically and subsidize the city. Fairly ironic, considering their existence is entirely based on the city being there in the first place. Seeing their corporate tax base uproot itself and move downtown is a nice bit of poetic justice.

[JK47]

Originally Posted by Stockerzzz

From Ald. Tom Tunney's website:



Huge improvement over what's currently there:

Well now that Bamee Noodle has closed, yeah. I miss that place.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ Why are you personifying suburbia (or the city for that matter?) as if it was some dude that sat there and laughed wickedly while the city suffered?

This is one point where I'll never agree with you. Suburbia has for decades and continues to this day to dump off every last burden, blame, and scapegoating they can on the city. The suburbs were largely born of pure racism and subsidy of favored classes. One could even argue that it was a continuation of America's own mini-apartheid.

That sounds radical, but then ask yourself if Lake Forest, Barrington, etc accept Section 8 vouchers. They carry no burden and gleefully adopt politics that give away their disdain for the "underclasses" of the city. The sooner they are faced with problems of their own like abandoned office parks full of homeless squatters, the sooner they might adopt politics that share some basic level of human decency with the city that they have taken advantage of for over half a century.

[BVictor1]

07/14/17

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

ask yourself if Lake Forest, Barrington, etc accept Section 8 vouchers

Municipalities have no control over whether landlords apply for, and are accepted into, the Section 8 program.

It's suburban municipalities' antipathy toward multifamily in the first place—not over how the rent is paid—that presents a fair housing problem.

And it's problematic to tar all "suburbs" with the same brush. Many of them—yes, even in Lake County—are facing severe challenges of eroding tax bases and increasing numbers of poor people. But, unlike the city, they have no resources to fall back on.

I think we should be careful with our schadenfreude. If Walgreens decamps for a new supertall in the Loop, that might seem like poetic justice 40 years after they went the other direction. But the ones stuck with a decaying corporate campus next to the tollway won't be the original developers who profited handsomely from defiling the countryside. It will be the ordinary taxpayers of Deerfield.

[harryc]

Looks like they are getting the corner store ready ... fingers crossed.

July 6

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

This is one point where I'll never agree with you. Suburbia has for decades and continues to this day to dump off every last burden, blame, and scapegoating they can on the city. The suburbs were largely born of pure racism and subsidy of favored classes. One could even argue that it was a continuation of America's own mini-apartheid.

That sounds radical, but then ask yourself if Lake Forest, Barrington, etc accept Section 8 vouchers. They carry no burden and gleefully adopt politics that give away their disdain for the "underclasses" of the city. The sooner they are faced with problems of their own like abandoned office parks full of homeless squatters, the sooner they might adopt politics that share some basic level of human decency with the city that they have taken advantage of for over half a century.

Get over the silliness. We either succeed as a region or we die as one.

Takeda shifting jobs to Boston because they have a Biotech supercluster while we have the nation's most corrupt and dysfunctional (and near bankrupt) State Government speak to what the stakes are for Chicago. The people buying those condos downtown aren't Saudi Billionaires. Many of them are wealthy people who spent years living in the suburbs but have an affection for the city and are investing in it. Kill the suburbs and you're only hampering Chicago's future.

[Stunnies23]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Get over the silliness. We either succeed as a region or we die as one.

Takeda shifting jobs to Boston because they have a Biotech supercluster while we have the nation's most corrupt and dysfunctional (and near bankrupt) State Government speak to what the stakes are for Chicago. The people buying those condos downtown aren't Saudi Billionaires. Many of them are wealthy people who spent years living in the suburbs but have an affection for the city and are investing in it. Kill the suburbs and you're only hampering Chicago's future.

Upvote and agree with this times 1000.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Get over the silliness. We either succeed as a region or we die as one.

Takeda shifting jobs to Boston because they have a Biotech supercluster while we have the nation's most corrupt and dysfunctional (and near bankrupt) State Government speak to what the stakes are for Chicago. The people buying those condos downtown aren't Saudi Billionaires. Many of them are wealthy people who spent years living in the suburbs but have an affection for the city and are investing in it. Kill the suburbs and you're only hampering Chicago's future.

Agree 100%. Hatred of the suburbs/Chicago metro in this forum is incredibly short-signed and unwarranted. Chicago and it's suburbs go hand-in-hand...just like EVERY OTHER METROPOLITAN AREA IN THE COUNTRY, and the interdependence is not trivial, it's factual and vital to the economic strength of this area, especially Chicago.

There needs to be a come-to-Jesus moment for people to realize that, yes, the suburbs are here, and not going anywhere, and (a majority) are listless, boring and underdeveloped..then the question should be 'how can we act to revitalize a lot of suburbs that have huge potential for new infill development AND that already have transit options that tie-in directly to the downtown Chicago?'

Dumbfounded here.

[Skyguy_7]

174 N Mich. Rendering by OKW I believe. They'll be demo-ing the existing hulk that currently houses a 7-11. Good for the 'hood!