here is the trib article form today:
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A quiet proposal for Block 37
Daley is low-key on plan in wake of prior failures in development
By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 2, 2004
Without a hint of the fanfare that usually accompanies such announcements--and with Mayor Richard Daley a safe distance away--the wraps came off the long-awaited development proposal for Block 37 Wednesday.
In a legal filing with City Hall that seeks a zoning change, Mills Corp. of Arlington, Va. disclosed details of a shimmering residential, retail and commercial complex designed by Chicago architect Ralph Johnson of Perkins & Will.
But Daley, who usually revels in such announcements, took a decidedly low-key approach after presiding four years ago at the festive unveiling of a project for the block that went nowhere, the latest in a string of failed plans for the high-profile but long-vacant property.
At the time, Daley called the development "an absolute done deal" and one that was "well worth waiting for."
City officials have worked closely with Mills after selecting the company as Block 37's developer more than two years ago.
Nevertheless, Daley on Wednesday commented on the proposal only when asked by reporters. He said he has not "looked at it in detail yet," adding that "we are going to look at it very quickly" as the city's formal review process begins.
Planning Commissioner Denise Casalino was similarly circumspect, declining to reveal possible tenants and other details.
"They have a great design they have presented to us," she said. "I think it is a real project, but I am not vetting it all out in the press right now."
Steve Jacobsen, Mills' executive vice president, vowed that the development will become a reality.
"Mills is the one that can deliver, and I think that is what the city saw in us," he said. "We have always delivered, and we will deliver again here."
The new proposal calls for a shopping center "podium" of four or five stories that would cover the block, bounded by State, Dearborn, Randolph and Washington Streets.
An office building, hotel and residential tower also would rise from the site.
Below the complex would be a "state of the art" Chicago Transit Authority station where travelers headed for O'Hare International and Midway Airports would be able to check their bags before boarding trains to catch flights.
An electronic obelisk rising several stories from the station through a huge atrium into the shopping center above would flash information, from stock market updates to weather forecasts.
It also would have departure times for flights at the airports, advising travelers of delays so they could use the downtime dining and shopping inside the complex rather than sitting in airport terminals, Jacobsen said.
"This is a tremendous milestone today," he declared. The development would represent a "centerpiece" for the city and a "world-class urban destination," he said.
A floor or two of the exterior skin of the shopping center portion of the complex would be wrapped in a work of art, yet to be commissioned, that would add to the development's sense of excitement, Jacobsen said.
"We are talking about creating a piece of art that is part of the architecture," he said.
Business and civic leaders who were briefed earlier this week by Mills officials were shown a possible concept, described as an electronic work reminiscent of the one by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa at the new Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.
Jacobsen declined to provide the names of retailers expected to sign leases for the stores.
"We have had tremendous interest," but "it would be inappropriate for me to discuss those negotiations right now," he said. "This is not about `big boxes.' This is about incredible retail . . . a great array of specialty boutique tenants."
Nightclubs and restaurants would be on the ground level on the Randolph side of the building, facing the street's theater district.
The shopping center also is expected to have a rooftop garden.
Mills, which is expected to seek a city subsidy for the project, hopes to win approvals and begin construction of the shopping center portion next spring. The sequence of development of the three high-rises will depend on market conditions, Jacobsen said.
The hotel is planned for about 300 rooms, and the residential tower for a similar number of apartments or condominiums.
The office building would have more than 400,000 square feet. Mills continues to negotiate with WBBM-Ch. 2, which has discussed leasing space for offices and a street-level studio in the building.
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune
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