From Crain's story on DPI:

Sounds about right.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FdWSmq0WQAEleMa.jpg

If I had to guess this would be the likely plan so far.

Wet Lab
Incubator
Retail
University Gathering Center

That building adjacent to Ping Tom Park was one of the more contentious ones for Chinatown NIMBYs because it impacted the views from the Park I guess. It was supposed to be a highrise, but they may have just conceded and I’m hoping they’ll try to shift those units elsewhere in the site.

I liked the original OMA design, but I also like this.

Yeah it's more subdued but definitely distinctive and unique in the city. More architectural detail available here:
https://uofi.app.box.com/s/xg30u1hxg...6yiv9s7lbktcmk

I saw a tidbit somewhere that Lightfoot has also agreed to Related's request for an infrastructure subsidy, which was overshadowed by the DPI news but is a huge deal for Related. Cutting 15th St between Clark and Wells and relocating the Rock Island Metra tracks will really be the umbilical cord linking the DPI cluster to the South Loop.

So is the underground red line station still happening? I doubt it. Sad the only new extension we will get in years will be the useless red line extension to the far southside.

I doubt this area around DPI will have enough density to warrant a new subway station. Seems like we will get medium density at best, with higher densities toward the north end.
Remember, the north end of 78 is actually closer to the existing stop at Roosevelt and that offers Green and Orange Line service as well.

My guess is that Related will work with CTA to get one or two bus lines to run up Wells-Wentworth when DPI opens. They already built the street with concrete bus pads. If they could get an extension of the 22 to Chinatown, that would be huge for a direct and frequent North Side connection but would add some operating cost. Rerouting the 24 or 62 would be essentially free but those buses don't run as often.

My guess is that they will leave room for a future station and we won't see any real talks about breaking ground until most of the 78 is built out.

The red line stop should be a requirement. If only to drive out the suburbanites living in the area.

I agree.

Did the developers pledge any funds into the station's construction? They should definitely not be left off the hook for that.

Hell of a lot more dense than the RLE stations which everyone is eager to spend $3b+ on.

No, that's not how it works. The money for the infrastructure projects comes out of the property taxes that the new developments pay. If Related decides not to pursue certain infrastructure projects, that money simply goes into the regular tax coffers as part of the required property tax payment. It's not like they get to keep the money.

Yes, this is a possibility. Once they realign the Rock Island tracks, they should have easy access to the existing Red Line tunnel to construct a station box. Any building at the SW corner of 15th/Clark is years away.

https://i.ibb.co/ctrs4fL/Screenshot-...-25-135930.jpg

^ Looking at ardecila's diagram and the DPI's renderings, it looks like the SCAL is still going to have a weird bend in it's route. I'm surprised that the city didn't ask for DPI to be shifted a bit north. With the SCAL reconstruction, this would have been a great opportunity to straighten the tracks

OMA has an updated page of renderings on its website:
https://www.oma.com/projects/discove...e-headquarters

The river bridge isn't aligned with the SCAL east of Clark, so there has to be a bend of some kind, it'll never be perfectly straight.

The SCAL bridge over Clark still needs replaced and the plan is to straighten it out when they do that. However, this means realigning about 600' of track west of Clark St on both the SCAL and CN's Freeport Sub. They actually made the new bridge deck over the Freeport Sub extra wide so that the Freeport Sub track can be re-aligned in the future, and the abutment walls were made extra wide so that the bridge deck can be slid laterally a few feet as well.

The problem here at 16th Jct is so many interested parties (CN, Metra, Related, and Amtrak) and hammering out a deal for who does what work in what order has been tricky. If Amtrak gets their big federal grant, then the assumption is that they will pay for everything.

The DPI location does mean that the B&OCT bridge (the permanently up one) can never be re-used, at least for rail. A ped-bike rehab would be nice for that bridge, but I'm not sure anybody wants a convenient walking path to Pacific Garden Mission.

^ Any chance the SCAL will be dual tracked again? I don't recall if that's part of the plan of the new direct access ramp to Union Station from the SCAL (to avoid having to reverse into the station) for Amtrak trains. If CrossRail Chicago actually gets backing, then they would definitely need the added capacity.

I know I am being ridiculous but I wish the observation tower could still be built. The DPI can anchor the south side of the 78 and the tower and anchor the north side of the 78. And it would really activate a riverwalk with amenities located near the base of the tower. Imagine you could board a river cruise boat at michigan ave and be dropped off at the tower's base with access to the top of the building and have a glass of wine while watching the sunset.

if you were to build an observation tower somewhere in the city... probably the best place would be the end of navy pier?

Like this?

https://twitter.com/chi_geek/status/1482084119660089345

Go back in time. Tell them the future depends on the World’s Fair skyride. Enjoy the authentic Chicago observation structure. Yay

https://www.chicagomag.com/wp-conten...01-wardept.jpg
https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life...ogress-photos/

https://www.chicagomag.com/wp-conten...13-wardept.jpg