I am not saying the idea of splitting the line is good or feasible, but it would account for this. Trains from the north to near south could run at greater frequency than trains from the south to near north. Though I suppose spacing them during rush hr could be a challenge when they run at different intervals. But regardless, the idea would be to get some of the effect of how a Clinton subway could split the Blue line by creating a new underground loop, but with two new endpoints instead. It is just a thought.

No real surprises or gotchas, much less determinations, but I read some serious skepticism in this rather anodyne "intake letter:"

http://ward03chicago.com/wp-content/...takeLetter.pdf

^ What's there to be so skeptical about, it's only a (my educated guess here on number) 20+ mil sf mixed-use development with a massive infrastructure component proposed by.......Robert Dunn of Wisconsin?

Let's be honest, the alderman nor the residents have the authority to say there will be no western access through the neighborhood.

That's the reason why there are only two ways in and out now.

Here's a (very) rough video of what the transit hub would look like

https://view.ceros.com/clayco/about/p/1

I am curious to know what makes them think a big mall like that in that location would work. It has a very Hudson Yards feel about it. A number of transit-oriented developments with malls in urban areas have worked. This just seems too big for this location, which doesn't have much of a surrounding neighborhood that could provide the foot traffic. Maybe they are counting on people coming over from the Museum Campus? I don't know.

^ Agreed. South Loop is very misleading in its density.

See the bottom of this blog post for an eyepopping illustration (Central Station has the same population density as some random 1950s bungalow belt area in Belmont Cragin). The reason this can be true is because of household sizes, South Loop has way more units per square mile but with fewer people in each one due to the relative lack of families.

https://chicagoflaneur.com/2016/06/2...ty-in-chicago/

That said, raw population density isn't the best metric to predict the success of a new mall. The people in South Loop probably have a lot of disposable income and are more likely to shop for luxury goods than the bungalow dwellers in Belmont Cragin. And South Loop is a tourism magnet, or at least tourism-adjacent due to the Museum Campus, Soldier Field and McCormick Place. Still, I think One Central has about 3x-4x the amount of retail that you could conceivably sustain there, and downtown retail is in shrinkage mode or treading water with the growth of e-commerce.

^ Oh please... this whole internet fad is gonna blow over!

I visually crashed into about 100 or more polygons in that fly through.

^ The Fire just moved back to Soldier, so that will be at least 17 more events annually. Still, not exactly the best foundation for a retail center's business plan.

Good lord. Who do I get into contact with on their team to make them a better animation. I could have them something more polished within a week. This seems like too big a project to cheap out on important stuff like this.

Man the density this thing would add would be noticeable.

This is fairly close to McCormick Place. I would expect as much or more foot traffic from conventions than from events at Soldier Field. That still leaves quite the gap.

I wonder if they are hoping to compete with Millennium Park and Loop garages for the traffic going to Grant Park/Museum Park/Navy Pier. It would make a lot of sense to have people stop in the McCormick Place lots and hop on a bus up to the tourist spots.

^ Well that's where the transit hub comes in. I think they realize that Soldier Field and McCormick Place aren't enough to sustain a big lifestyle center, and if they propose something too auto-oriented the neighbors will kill it because of the traffic.

But like, why even do a lifestyle center? Just keep this as a residential-focused development with a few retail options. Lakeshore East is a good model here, there's a grocery store, a coffee shop, a cleaners and a few restaurants.

One Central Developer Says Lakefront Megaproject on Track after Deal Inked with Metra
 

Also here





https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...-support-metra



March 09, 2021 04:00 PM |



One Central megaproject gets key support from Metra



The commuter rail agency says the $20 billion development is a "golden opportunity" to boost its operations.


Greg Hinz  

There's really no reason for Metra not to be supportive. If Bob Dunn wants to rebuild the Weldon Yard and the 18th St station at no cost to Metra, they'd be foolish not to take the deal. One Central's transit plan doesn't require Metra to run any more service than they do now.

Also, decking over those tracks has been envisioned since the 1950s at least and periodically discussed, so Metra officials have always expected this to happen at some point. The air rights were sold back in the 1980s to Fogelson.

The Crain's headline misinterprets Metra's position on One Central. From the actual article: "The commuter rail agency is not endorsing the project."

Metra is simply saying their engineers and Dunn's engineers have figured out where the support columns would go and in what order the tracks would be relocated—IF the state agrees to finance this fever dream.

One Central - How a Transit Oriented Development is key to the Social and Economic Transformation of Chicago

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/4283619905030299
Zoom Link @ 11am CST: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82864191438

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...3b&oe=60E5CA38

That rendering just slams.

Interesting that they added so many trees to Northerly Island though ...