CHICAGO | General Developments

[the urban politician]

^ great news on both fronts, I am especially happy to see a historic church structure see new life.

JM Tungsten, I really appreciate your photo updates. I can't emphasize enough just how massive that New City development is going to be. Really quite transformative at so many levels. Probably the most sizable TOD we have seen outside of downtown In many years! It really is exciting, and looking at its scale one is tempted to call this development just what it is named: a new city. I would love it if a hotel would've been incorporated in the plans.

[the urban politician]

^. On another note, with New City does North/Clybourn usurp State St as Chicago's second urban (non-ethnic) shopping district? If not, it must be getting close..

[SamInTheLoop]

^ I don't know. My bet would be that State Street really booms for the rest of this decade.....I think there's going to be a lot of activity, with Block 37 filled up (yes, really) by next year at latest, along with a real transformation/re-tenanting between Van Buren and Madison over the next few years....

[ardecila]

Only Van Buren, huh? The worst part of State is that damn Robert Morris in the Leiter II Building, with a whole block of blank frontage. At least DePaul had the good sense to leave their ground floor open for commercial uses.

I think the retenanting is already happening... the New Era store is pretty swanky, much more high-end than their stores in other "urban" retail centers. Akira, Target, etc. have all moved in. Hopefully the GSA will get rolling on their plans for the 200S block, which involve replacing the Consumers Building and restoring the North American Building. This of course depends on Federal $$ rolling in.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Does anyone know what is going on in the lot north of the new, but now shuttered, Dominicks at Sheridan and Foster on the far north side? I know that lot was up for sale a while ago and it had pretty high zoning. I drove by for the first time in a long while last night and there is construction fencing up and excavation equipment on site. I thought there might have been a chance for a highrise there, but maybe someone is quietly building a 4-6 story building as-of-right there?

I checked the zoning map and it was B3-5 before they redid the Dominicks and moved it to the corner. So I doubt anyone is putting in a strip mall or something stupid like that. B3-5 allows for some pretty hefty buildings.

Originally Posted by the urban politician

I would love it if a hotel would've been incorporated in the plans.

There is a hotel planned for a block over from there for the lot next to SONO at corner of Fremont and Weed. This area is really finally coming together despite the auto-centric crap that has been built there.

[tjp]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^ I don't know. My bet would be that State Street really booms for the rest of this decade.....I think there's going to be a lot of activity, with Block 37 filled up (yes, really) by next year at latest, along with a real transformation/re-tenanting between Van Buren and Madison over the next few years....

I think so, too. CIM is a great retail developer - I think their hardship in getting Block 37 leased-up has had to do with financing, rather than a lack of vision/effort on their part.

Anyway - how fast the Forever 21 space lease-ups (following their move to the Charlotte Russe space) will be a good indicator of the strength of the street.

[zolk]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Does anyone know what is going on in the lot north of the new, but now shuttered, Dominicks at Sheridan and Foster on the far north side? I know that lot was up for sale a while ago and it had pretty high zoning. I drove by for the first time in a long while last night and there is construction fencing up and excavation equipment on site. I thought there might have been a chance for a highrise there, but maybe someone is quietly building a 4-6 story building as-of-right there?

The land was purchased by the Saddle and Cycle Club. Exact plans are unknown, but don't expect anything more than a parking lot or fenced-off green space. Nov 2013 DNAinfo article.

[Mr Downtown]

Unfortunately, all the State Street institutions have been nibbling away at their ground-floor retail, turning the spaces into admissions offices, student lounges, and classrooms with frosted windows. Same thing on Wabash. I think we're very lucky that DePaul Center's anchor tenant was a Barnes & Noble and not a Border's, or State Street retail would now end at Adams.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ great news on both fronts, I am especially happy to see a historic church structure see new life.

It's good. It adds density to the area, and they also plan on keeping the architectural structure of the church which is pretty cool.

[marothisu]

Here's something cool and interesting. The Tribune in October launched some editorials on how to improve the city and asked residents for their proposals and ideas. This article is the compilation of those in a way. I have always been a fan of the urban farm idea in some areas - it's good for the city's economy in many ways. I also like the idea of repurposing some of the vacant/abandoned warehouse structures into shelters for the homeless and job training - if you can do that right.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/o...,1431224.story

[J_M_Tungsten]

Agreed TUP. This site is massive and will a have huge effect on the area once completed. Hopefully the car situation doesn't get too out of control! Adding that much new retail and business to an already congested area will choke the streets with cars. Maybe that will be a good thing though. If it gets so bad no one can move, maybe people will start using the plethora of public transit options right near by.

On a separate note, I saw this proposal from Michael Sorkin's concept for The Obama Presedential Library in Hyde Park at 63rd and Woodlawn. Should fill several empty lots!


Source: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...lawn-neigh.php



Question: Can anyone tell me how to post a gif? I made a gif of the above images directly overlapping one another, but I can't seem to post it with a photo link. Any ideas?

[ardecila]

Wait, so the proposal calls for clearing several mostly-intact blocks of Woodlawn? WTF? I'm sure the Brazier family will love getting this Federal windfall.

Most of the vacant lots are directly on 63rd, because of disinvestment and flight from business owners over the years, plus the Braziers' own demolitions... Go 200' in either direction and the vast majority of buildings remain intact.

Build the thing west of Washington Park, where there is actually some sizable vacant land. Hyde Park needs a gateway from the Dan Ryan/Red Line.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by zolk

The land was purchased by the Saddle and Cycle Club. Exact plans are unknown, but don't expect anything more than a parking lot or fenced-off green space. Nov 2013 DNAinfo article.

The Saddle and Cycle club must be awash with money if they are going to pay $3.5 million for a lot and just sit on it. I'm assuming they aren't a tax exempt organization like a church or hospital...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

The Saddle and Cycle club must be awash with money if they are going to pay $3.5 million for a lot and just sit on it. I'm assuming they aren't a tax exempt organization like a church or hospital...

No kidding. I doubt that lot is going to appreciate in value very quickly either to want to sit on it for a long time after just purchasing it. Might be easier to build something on it that makes your money back sooner than just sitting on it for awhile.

[BWChicago]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

On a separate note, I saw this proposal from Michael Sorkin's concept for The Obama Presedential Library in Hyde Park at 63rd and Woodlawn. Should fill several empty lots!

The main point of this siting for the library is pretty obviously to extend UofC's influence south to where it will have harder edges - Metra Electric to the east, Oak Woods to the south, and Cottage Grove/Greenways to the west.

[J_M_Tungsten]

Today
The Maxwell




The British School South Loop Site and Amli

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by BWChicago

The main point of this siting for the library is pretty obviously to extend UofC's influence south to where it will have harder edges - Metra Electric to the east, Oak Woods to the south, and Cottage Grove/Greenways to the west.

True, but I think putting it in Washington Park would have an even greater influence. Not only is it more accessible by normal public transit (i.e. red or green line), it's also going more towards an area that needs more help in Englewood IMO.

I'd be happy with either to tell you the truth, but I can definitely see why Washington Park would be considered. You are right though that putting it at that site in Woodlawn is a more geographical continuance of U of C's campus/influence.

[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ Washington Park or bust. Seriously, the 63rd st proposal is absolutely idiotic. I'd rather have it go to NYC than put it somewhere downright retarded like that.

Originally Posted by zolk

The land was purchased by the Saddle and Cycle Club. Exact plans are unknown, but don't expect anything more than a parking lot or fenced-off green space. Nov 2013 DNAinfo article.

Lame, but not that surprising.

Originally Posted by the urban politician

The Saddle and Cycle club must be awash with money if they are going to pay $3.5 million for a lot and just sit on it. I'm assuming they aren't a tax exempt organization like a church or hospital...

Really? They definitely have non-profit status. Non-profit doesn't imply you have some charitable service mission to society, it means you never turn a profit that you return to owners or shareholders. I doubt the Saddle and Cycle club pays taxes or they wouldn't have lasted so long in their location. Also, if non-profit status were an indicator of some kind of noble goals, then 95% of hospitals would not quality for non-profit status because most of them are basically shells to pay their administrators and executives massive salaries for burying their massive cash windfalls in real estate projects (like leveling Prentice for a new blue glass blob). The entire non-profit thing is a scam at this point.

[the urban politician]

^. Sad, but I grant that you are largely correct. I actually think I should have forgotten about the medical degree and just gotten an MBA, smooched ass for a number of years while doing diddly squat, and voila! 7 figure salary...

Alas, I like being productive for a living. Must be a flaw.

[the urban politician]

The Maxwell is really a model for single use commercial development. That is precisely how it should be done. Thanks again for the pics, JM