Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiMIchael
I'm not the biggest critic of strip malls, but that was just offensive. That parking lot is too big and the mall should be oriented so the the docks are along the expressway.
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I don't think that would have worked from a site planning standpoint. The retail spaces would have been oddly-shaped, the whole point was to draw suburban retailers into the city at a time when the old pedestrian-oriented stores were closing. It's sad, there was an awesome Moderne factory/printing press there before it was demoed for the strip mall.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/29821940@N00/6955984721
But it does present a golden opportunity for TOD. It has expressway and Blue Line access, but not the shitty environment of a median station. And the site is large enough for probably three towers, ideally with a mall or retail component. Hopefully the intersection there can be re-engineered to calm the traffic and ease the crushing congestion. Ideally they eliminate the redundant ramps to/from SB I-90 at Kimball, and put a frontage road along each side of the expressway so entering/exiting traffic doesn't have to make turns at that intersection.