[ardecila]

^ Exactly, the proof is in the pudding. The law firms, media firms, etc that drive new construction want to be in buildings with a marquee address, dramatic architecture/setting, and proximity to transit, restaurants, etc. 625 W Adams satisfies only the transit box. The architecture isn’t even particularly good. Sometimes value-conscious corporations like Quaker, PepsiCo, USG, etc have moved to this area in an attempt to save money while remaining close to Metra. Think about the area around Penn Station in NY, which also remained an undesirable location for office until the city, Related, and other groups built up the Hudson Yards brand and hype.

Also, this section of the West Loop can’t be “zoned for office”. That’s not how the zoning code works. Downtown zoning categories are agnostic on office vs. residential. The only exception is DS, which bans residential, but that’s really more of a light industrial category for service uses or large-scale retail.

As for The 78.... it only works as an office site if a Fortune 500 level company comes in and builds their own ecosystem. It will obviously have a good Red Line connection at both ends of the site, so it is very accessible from the North Side City neighborhoods where a lot of young workers live. I’d also expect a pretty big boom in Bronzeville, especially in the former Robert Taylor Homes area close to the Red Line stop at 35th. Also some pretty serious gentrification pressure on Chinatown.