Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayward
There is two buildings of architectural merit within the project area. One is the terra cotta commercial building and the other is an apartment being moved. The rest have been mutilated of their original exteriors. Concern is wasted here from an architectural standpoint because so many similar buildings of better quality and original detail are being torn down and the discussion on those is silent. So I feel concern is a bit misplaced. I touched on my opinions of preservation in my post above.
However......
From an urban planning standpoint....yes this is concerning that we will be stuck with empty lots. There should have been some zoning covenant established prior that would allow existing FAR based on lot of record sizes regardless of CTA’s reductions and developer driven lot consolidation. It would make those lots far more attractive to build on if larger densities are as-of-right...yet acknowledging the impact of this project is entitled to leniency under current zoning restrictions.
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It goes beyond the individual buildings and architectural merit in my opinion, we are demoing an entire block plus of buildings at a pretty popular intersection...it is a case of the sum is greater than the parts, the majority of the buildings contribute to the character of the neighborhood, which will be lost forever. Whatever replaces them will be complete crap, plus we'll be stuck with large concrete pillars right in the middle of the street, we're not even getting Steel support beams!