Quote:
Originally Posted by glowrock
In that case, the alderman is an imbecile. I understand the need to keep some Loop-adjacent property available at a price-point where service-oriented companies can stay in business and thrive, but so much of the current land is in terrible repair and/or vacant of any building whatsoever.
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It's not the alderman. North of Roosevelt is 25th Ward, so Solis was the alderman for many years and he rubber-stamped pretty much everything that was outside of the core Pilsen community. Now it's Sigcho, who looks to follow in Solis' footsteps when it comes to the non-Pilsen areas of his ward. He
might take a progressive stance of "preserving good paying industrial jobs" in this area, but there's really not a lot of employment going on here except for the chain retailers... not the kind of jobs that get progressives excited.
No, I think it's the city's planning staff who want to keep this area off-limits to mixed-use development. The industrial and service businesses here, except for UPS, are largely a form of land banking for future retail development. The city has a very spotty record addressing the problem of retail deserts on the South and West Sides, so the next best thing is to have a regional shopping district at Roosevelt Road with plenty of room for growth. Plus the lowrise buildings do offer some affordable space to service businesses in the meantime.