CHICAGO | Lincoln Yards

[the urban politician]

^ I not only have some patients who work for Abbvie, but I also personally know a few people who are “higher up” in that company, one of which is a former executive and she literally lives in Wisconsin!

The difference between Abbvie and McDonald’s is:

Abbvie’s whole pedigree has been from the north burbs. It’s a spin off of Abbot. Most of Chicagoland’s pharmaceutical industry is based up there. So there is already an existing pool of workers so there is less need to relocate.

McD’s has a totally different story, plus it was once based in Chicago whereas Abbvie never was.

What concerned me was when Takeda bailed for Boston. That shows that the suburban “talent pool” has some deficiencies that they obviously saw. If building a new & more competitive bio pharma ecosystem in the city can be achieved by Sterling Bay, Trammell Crow, and others, then I’m hoping for the best. Because I would hate to see more relocations for the coasts like that one.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ I not only have some patients who work for Abbvie, but I also personally know a few people who are “higher up” in that company, one of which is a former executive and she literally lives in Wisconsin!

I work with a few higher up executives who live in central Connecticut. Doesn't stop them still from coming in - although certainly where most people I'm working with are relocating cuts down on the commute for those people in CC

The difference between Abbvie and McDonald’s is:

My post was less about Abbvie and more about the complexity of actually deciding on these relocations. I couldn't see a company like Abbvie moving to LY until there's a lot of stuff there anyway. Some companies do like to be in on the ground floor of areas like that though for various reasons, so you never know.

What concerned me was when Takeda bailed for Boston. That shows that the suburban “talent pool” has some deficiencies that they obviously saw. If building a new & more competitive bio pharma ecosystem in the city can be achieved by Sterling Bay, Trammell Crow, and others, then I’m hoping for the best. Because I would hate to see more relocations for the coasts like that one.

Ultimately, it could be part of the entire equation when you really think about it. Older buildings that cost more to maintain with companies wanting more cutting edge labs which is easier to get in a few other cities (Boston, San Diego, etc). Also considering a diversity of experience levels and each company's plans on how to progress into the future. I do think what Sterling Bay, Trammell Crow, etc are doing is smart in the long run. If they attract the smaller fish to go into a few areas, they can basically build up life sciences areas where it'll be easier to attract the big, old companies to consider relocation.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Briguy

So it looks like no 606 bridge, no Armitage bridge, and no concord bridge. And no Dominick bridge for 5 years. Wonderful

Where did you hear this? They are still in the master plan and in the city's Capital Plan for 2021-2025.

The 606 won't get a dedicated bridge but it will be extended to the river and then along the south branch to the new Dominick bridge for crossing.

[left of center]

If not moving their entire HQ, which may be unlikely since its such a huge shift for them, perhaps they might be considering opening a satellite office in the city in order to attract younger talent? They could move non-core operations there; marketing, digital strategy/media, what have you. Lincoln Yards would be an attractive location for such a venture.

[CrazyCres]

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/09/con...oln-yards.html

[Randomguy34]

Apartments planned next to Lincoln Yards

A team of real estate developers that recently converted an old industrial building into apartments next to the planned Lincoln Yards campus on the city's North Side have purchased a building a block away where they plan a similar residential conversion.

A venture led by Interra Realty co-founder Jon Morgan and Moline, Ill.-based Heart of America Group paid nearly $15 million for the 140,000-square-foot former Lincoln Park headquarters of Chicago nonprofit Anixter Center at 2032 N. Clybourn Ave., the buyers confirmed. The venture bought the property and a 35,000-square-foot parking lot next to it from Anixter, a 102-year-old operation that offers programming for the developmentally disabled.
....
Heart of America Group founder Mike Whalen said the buyers plan to turn the building into 136 apartments and include other commercial uses, such as a food hall.
....
Anixter Center CEO Rebecca Clark said in a statement last year that Illinois ranks 47th in the nation by funding for developmental disability services and that the sale of the property would "stabilize our long-term financial plan in a state where there has been a tragic lack of investment in these critical programs."

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...-lincoln-yards

[Randomguy34]

Construction permits were issued yesterday for 1229 W Concord. Lincoln Yards is officially underway

[ardecila]

Unfortunately that Anixter site sits outside the TOD radius of Armitage station or Ashland bus, so it will have at least 136 parking spaces to go with 136 apartments.

And the city keeps dragging its feet on a North Branch transitway or even a basic Clybourn bus, so it's likely this will end up as another inward-focused, Lincoln Park complex for car-addicted suburbanites.

[left of center]

That transitway is desperately necessary. The Clybourn/Elston corridors are traffic nightmares as it is, let alone the east-west streets with exits on the Kennedy... worst of all being the Cortland/Armitage cluster**** which sits directly adjacent to this project. If people plan to commute downtown from here using these streets, its going to make a bad problem much worse.

[Randomguy34]

The Ally broke ground today

Life sciences project marks kickoff of Lincoln Yards development
https://chicago.suntimes.com/busines...de-megaproject

[thegoatman]

They would start with the most unremarkable building lol, not the 606 extension, added station, riverwalk, or taller tower

[bnk]

I like it. Its a laboratory.
Those things are not supposed to be skyscrapers

[CaptainJilliams]

Hey, better a general start to the project as opposed to more months/years of concept and speculation

[twister244]

Originally Posted by CaptainJilliams

Hey, better a general start to the project as opposed to more months/years of concept and speculation

Agreed - Great to see shovels actually getting in the ground for this project.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Toasty Joe

^a bit suburban for my liking but excited for the start of this project & role it will play in linking Bucktown and Lincoln Park

What's suburban about it? This is 8 stories on a literal sliver of a parcel, it includes a new public street (not some private-ass turnaround) and a public riverwalk along the front.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Yeah in what world is high density office built virtually lot line to lot line in a brownfield site "suburban"?


Also you obviously haven't been following development very long if you think they would start with the most expensive infrastructure elements of the project rather than, you know, buildings that might actually turn a profit...

[Klippenstein]

Originally Posted by ardecila

What's suburban about it? This is 8 stories on a literal sliver of a parcel, it includes a new public street (not some private-ass turnaround) and a public riverwalk along the front.

So is the plan to demolish that Stone Source Midwest warehouse building across the river in order to extend the road to connect with Wisconsin St?

[ardecila]

Yes, eventually. Probably gotta get the whole General Iron debacle resolved first though.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by Toasty Joe

Was mostly referring to how the rendering makes the building look like it was plucked from alongside a highway in Palatine.

This is a design complaint not a land use complaint. It is very urban from a land use perspective.

Sometimes starting with a statement project does more to catalyze an area than a slow & safe cash flow stream for the developer. Seeing the other projects SB has put up, they seem to be more focused on making money & establishing themselves right now than imparting a lasting legacy on this city. Here's to hoping that changes with LY

"Imparting a lasting legacy" is not a business model. Developers build things for money, otherwise they wouldn't. Some people on this board fetishize uneconomical projects/buildings because they come with pretty renderings no matter if they are leasable at rents to justify their cost. Predictably these people are almost always disappointed because the entities that can afford those kind of vanity projects are very few and far between.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by Toasty Joe

sure?



1) SB is on its way to becoming one of those entities that can afford the kind of "vanity projects" that this site/city deserves. per my post, "here's to hoping"

2) Not everything has to be econo-boxes or vanity projects. We used to regularly put up beautiful structures. Now we're lucky if the vanity projects aren't VE'd to death or killed by a recession.

3) It's also quite obvious that this building was built with profitability as top priority, as its certainly not winning any design awards. Maybe more of a sign of the times when they came to prominence, but almost all of SBs own developments are either 300+ ft too short or feel soulless.

This all just reads like NYC envy because at their rents fancier projects, on average, can get built. Which...duh.