CHICAGO | 108 North State (Block 37)

[woodrow]

Methinks that the casino idea is a trial balloon. What do corporate chieftains, aldermen, civic organizations, etc. have to say about it. If Daley wants it, he could get it, BUT, he would be mindful of what the bigshots say. I am not sure that loop movers and shakers would care for a casino next to their corporate headquarters and cultural institutions.

It does seem the wrong location. Would it really add to a 24 hour zone, or would it simply be a place where a busload of retirees are dropped off to spends hours feeding the slots with a glazed-over look, never stepping onto State Street?

[HowardL]

I'm not sure if a casino in the Loop would necessarily be going after the same demographic as Northwest Indiana and the riverboats. Those casinos are sort of destinations, whereas this casino would compete as one of many destinations.

I see it as being potentially the sort of place where brokers, traders and other hot shots go after dropping a load of cash at Gibson's or Keefer's. Maybe more expense accounts and gold cards than retirement checks getting a work out.

I absolutely have no idea. Just wondering aloud here.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by woodrow

Methinks that the casino idea is a trial balloon. What do corporate chieftains, aldermen, civic organizations, etc. have to say about it. If Daley wants it, he could get it, BUT, he would be mindful of what the bigshots say. I am not sure that loop movers and shakers would care for a casino next to their corporate headquarters and cultural institutions.

It does seem the wrong location. Would it really add to a 24 hour zone, or would it simply be a place where a busload of retirees are dropped off to spends hours feeding the slot with a glazed-over look, never stepping onto State Street?

^ plenty of young people go to casinos, too

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by woodrow

It does seem the wrong location. Would it really add to a 24 hour zone, or would it simply be a place where a busload of retirees are dropped off to spends hours feeding the slots with a glazed-over look, never stepping onto State Street?

i wish i could wave a magic wand and make all casinos go away, but i do have to admit, they are damn fun and a casino in the loop would absolutely increase the after work hours activity in the area.

like i said, i am predisposed against any casino in chicago, but if we have to have on, B37 might be the natural fit. daley wants to bring excitement and action back to the loop, and well, a huge-ass sparkling casino would certainly be one way to attract millions and millions of folks every year.

[pip]

^Not just the extra people traffic but much needed revenue. It would bring hundreds of millions a year to the city and hundreds of millions a year to the state. Too bad Illinois gets a cut but it would be more likely to be approved if the state gets some.

Those figures I got from a few months ago about a Chicago based casino.

I don't want a casino either but as you said it would be one hell of a shot in the arm for the Loop which is still primarily a business district.

[Tom In Chicago]

Another perspective. . . looks like the model they had at P&W:

[2PRUROCKS!]

IMO a casino in Chicago would be a shame. This is Chicago for goodness sake not Detroit or Gray, IN. Is the Chicago downtown so pathetic that it needs this to regentrify a downtown that reasembles Berlin in 1945? I think it would detract from a great city that dosn't need a casinio to be great. A casion is what a city does when it has nothing else and is desperate. It would add a cheesyness to the city that would be a blemish. All that said if Chicago does get 1 or 2 it won't be the end of the world, just a mark against a city that is awesome in most other respects.

[2PRUROCKS!]

Tom, thanks for the model. Is that the east (State St. side) aspect we are seeing?

[chicagoguy1]

I could see a casino (maybe) at McCormick Place, but not at Block 37, it would look aweful!

[HK Chicago]

That's the state street frontage, when I saw it a the tribune yesterday I didn't even realize it was a new angle... that's not a good model, even for just the base which is all thats "finalized". I still want to see better views of the "super interior" that seems to drive this design.

A casino would fit much better in the city than on the lakefront... it can be used for vip appearances, etc in ways that the lakefront can't. Plus, McCormick place already places all of it's visitors in downtown hotels... the Hyatt is a matter of convienence, but that area is not dense with rooms.

[pip]

‘Block 37’ O’Hare Express Stop May Get Hotel Builders on Board
By Mark Ruda
Last updated: Thursday, October 14, 2004 08:07pm

CHICAGO-Skepticism from members of the community development commission could be expected this week before they unanimously recommended a $12.3-million sale of “Block 37” to Mills Corp. The $336-million retail and entertainment base of what could ultimately grow to a two-million-sf redevelopment is hardly the first proposal to come and go in more than a decade.


The involvement of well-heeled Arlington, VA-based Mills Corp. is one reason city officials are confident the development, which ultimately promises to generate $17.5 million a year in property and sales tax revenue, will be built pretty much as planned. If there is any gamble to Mills Corp.’s proposal for 108 N. State St., though, it appears to be two towers that could contain multifamily units and hotel rooms.


Mills Corp. is building what it knows best--the 417,000-sf retail and entertainment portion of the development that will be “the podium” for 108 N. State St. Although negotiations are under way with CBS to take 100,000 sf to anchor a 400,000-sf office tower, that project would be built by Lincoln Property Co. Meanwhile, Mills Corp. is in negotiations with developers for the other two towers, says executive vice president of development Steven J. Jacobsen.


Those towers could be 200 to 300 units, and the mixture between residences and hotel rooms will be driven largely by the market, Jacobsen and city officials emphasize. That flexibility improves the odds of the towers being built, suggests Terri Haymaker, deputy commissioner of the department of planning and development. However, some were uneasy about the possibility of that portion of the project failing to materialize.


“The last thing we want is 450,000 sf of retail and an unfinished tower,” Jacobsen says. “This is very important to the company. “


So far, though, Jacobsen says there is “strong interest” from hotel developers, particularly because the base of the entire 108 N. State St. also includes a $172-million Chicago Transit Authority station three stories underground. It will offer express service to O’Hare International Airport, as the CTA’s Red line is connected to the Blue Line, which runs down the middle of the Kennedy Expressway to the airport.


Also overseeing the company’s redevelopment of Piers 27-31 in San Francisco as well as Vaughn Mills in Toronto, the 108 N. State St. assignment is a homecoming for Jacobsen. The architect is a Chicago native, received his degree Downstate at the University of Illinois as well as Downtown at Roosevelt University. “What’s important for me is to come back and do a project like this in the city,” he says.

[BVictor1]

There will be a lecture about Block 37 at the Art Institute on Thursday November 11, 2004. I don't know what time at this moment.

[pip]

^I'm there.

[Jaroslaw]

Amazing that there are still no specifics on the O'Hare express. Are they talking about new train cars? Downtown check-in? Dedicated train lines (hardly any room for that, despite what that bloke Kuresi says)? So where would all this money go?

The casino is dumb, of course. Chicago is a serious city! How about building a huge expansion of the Art Institute there instead? Oh, I forgot, that's so 19th century; now we spend public money on football stadiums...

[BVictor1]

I find it interesting that the CTA has the incentive and the resources to fund a $200+ Million dollar superstation, while at the same time they are threatening to slash upto 30 bus routes, suspend night service on the EL and other stupid bullshit.

[Jaroslaw]

I think that's because they can get Fed funding for investments, and not for current operations. That said, the proposed service cuts are just a scare tactic, it happes all the time. "If you don't give us X dollars, poor people will die of starvation," typical big government b.s.


==



Block 37 parking plan doesn't legally stack up

October 15, 2004

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
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Block 37 developers want to use a mechanical parking system that stacks cars to create one third of the 300 parking spaces they plan.

There's only one problem. Chicago's zoning code doesn't allow it.

Four years ago, concern about aesthetics and safety prompted City Hall to stop issuing routine elevator permits for mechanical parking systems.

How, then, can the Mills Corp. -- master developer of the 2.7-acre parcel at State and Randolph -- be talking about using a parking system that's not legal?

"The plan development talks about the possibility of using mechanical stackers if they could be approved, but it doesn't rely on them for the parking numbers. It's still a valet parking system. It still works," said David Reifman, a zoning attorney representing Mills.

"There is a limited amount of space on the block. Mechanical stackers allow you to provide additional parking in the same amount of space. But if they don't [approve], we go to the lower number. Two hundred would be the minimum."

Planning and Development Commissioner Denise Casalino said Mills either needs to persuade the City Council to legalize parking lifts or coax an obscure panel known as the Board of Standards and Tests to make a "case-by-case exception."

Asked whether she supports a waiver, Casalino said, "If it's done correctly. It's done in other cities all over the place. When I was at [the Department of Construction and Permits], we were constantly getting information from companies wanting to do this in Chicago. When you're in tight spaces and you don't want to waste all of this space on parking, it can work well."

For years, only an elevator permit was needed to install a parking lift. In November 2000, the city changed the rules. Developers were told the mechanical parking systems were a violation of the city's zoning ordinance, which requires parking spaces to be at least 8 feet wide, 19 feet long and 7 feet high.

At the time, Buildings Commissioner Mary Richardson-Lowry said she stopped issuing permits at the request of the city's Zoning Department, which wanted to "step back and look at the impact of using platform lifts" on issues such as landscaping, maintenance and safety.

The parking question got even more pivotal this week when Casalino and Mayor Daley opened the possibility of a mega-casino on Block 37. Three hundred spaces would not be nearly enough for a casino with 3,000 gaming positions.

[BVictor1]

BLOCK 37: Casino possible on site sold at loss

Compiled by William Sluis from staff and wire reports
Published October 17, 2004

In a move to assure development of a critically important but long-vacant downtown site, the city agreed to sell Block 37 at a loss of nearly $23 million.

In a surprise revelation, Planning Commissioner Denise Casalino said that the site could one day be home to a city-run casino, in addition to the shopping center, office high-rise, hotel and residential tower that already have been announced.

The city is willing to take a loss on Block 37 because city planners see it as a keystone location.

If Mayor Richard Daley wins state approval for a publicly owned gaming facility, Block 37 would be among the locations considered for the slot machines and blackjack tables, Casalino said.

If casino legislation is passed, "the city needs to figure out the optimal site," she said. "This would be one of them under evaluation."

The site has easy access to CTA stations and "it's close to Millennium Park. . . . It's part of the heart of the center of the city," Casalino said.

Block 37 is only the second possible location mentioned by Daley administration officials as a potential casino site. The other is the oldest and easternmost building in the McCormick Place complex.

City officials say a gaming facility would represent a new source of desperately needed revenue as the city faces a $220 million budget gap for 2005.

Watch for: Additional pressure on Springfield to allow a casino in the city, even though Gov. Rod Blagojevich remains firm in his opposition.


Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune

[LA21st]

Block 37 has the potential to become Chicago's version of Times Square. I don't mean all of the electronic billboards, but a specific intersection in downtown that functions as the center of activity for the loop. Imo, that is what Chicago lacks. State and Madison may have it in the past, but not anymore. State and Randolph could be a nice fit. Randolph has a growing theatre district, good restaurants and retail. Block 37 is right next to Daley Plaza, a huge gathering place for downtown workers and other events.
Marshall Fields draws many people even on weekends.

[the urban politician]

^totally agree. Chicago's downtown definitely needs a crown jewel, if you will. Millennium Park is a great urban and cultural space, to be sure, but it really isn't a "center of activity". Instead, it is more like a respite from the city.

Block 37 needs to take the reigns of this town. North Michigan Avenue is more touristy and for shopping. Central and south Michigan Ave is turning into a residential/cultural/academic enclave. The south loop is academic/residential, whereas the central and west loop are financial.

Block 37 is at the cusp of it all and has a much greater responsibility than Michigan Avenue. It must act as a gateway to and relate to all of these aspects of the city. Plus, in my opinion, it is the key to kicking off revitalization of the true spine of downtown Chicago--State Street!! In my book, downtown Chicago will not have made a complete comeback until State Street is fully transformed into a highly active, 24/7 boulevard.

[LA21st]

State Street will surely regain its former glory if Block 37 is developed the right way. I don't think it needs a stinking casino.
State Street retains its soul to this day and a casino would cheapen it.

You're right. MP can never be the center, just like CP can't be for Manhattan. Even DC has its center intersection (at least to many people) Connecitcut and K/Farragut Square.