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Old Posted Apr 27, 2016, 6:17 PM
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ardecila ardecila is offline
TL;DR
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: the city o'wind
Posts: 16,356
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician View Post
^ As with most industries out there, Government hates small business. They are difficult to control. It's more convenient to deal with one large player.

This applies to real estate as well. But I agree, and I find it odd that not one person anywhere in Chicago appears to have ever advocated this approach for a large, undeveloped parcel of land.
Grading and building streets and laying utilities isn't free. It costs millions, maybe hundreds of millions for a large site, and all government work is subject to bidding and contracting rules (community hiring, MBE/DBE, prevailing wage) that drive up cost.

Much easier and overall cheaper to let developers plat things on their own and handle street/utility construction according to a common set of city design standards.

Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias View Post
It's not that far from Printers Row, there's some dining in Roosevelt Collection, theatres there, it will draw in more just by virtue of the population it brings.

While I agree it doesn't "feel" close to transit, it's actually not badly served.
Yeah, Roosevelt Collection is sort of a game-changer. Without that, I doubt many people will walk across the river to shopping over there that isn't really pedestrian-oriented anyway.

Still, though, you don't really have the kind of "scene" that you get in River North, Gold Coast, Old Town, Wicker Park, Lakeview, the South Michigan corridor, or West Loop. It just feels very sleepy and disconnected at the Riverline site, the Metra viaduct and Dearborn Park are giant walls severing it from the bulk of South Loop. But yeah, perception and reality are not always the same thing. Hopefully a few strategic shopping and dining options at Riverline will help activate Wells Street.
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