CHICAGO | General Developments

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022



Fast Track restaurant closed

[Kngkyle]

Water Tower Place has a lot of potential but it requires a complete gutting. Put a hotel and boutique office space on the upper levels with restaurants and some retail space on the lower levels. Turn it from an inward facing mall to an outward facing mixed-use destination. An indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant overlooking Michigan Ave and the Water Tower would print money.

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022

[SolarWind]

April 4, 2022

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Water Tower Place has a lot of potential but it requires a complete gutting. Put a hotel and boutique office space on the upper levels with restaurants and some retail space on the lower levels. Turn it from an inward facing mall to an outward facing mixed-use destination. An indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant overlooking Michigan Ave and the Water Tower would print money.

Yeah, sorta. I think that malls on the Mag Mile have a mixed record.

North Bridge mall seems to be doing better. There is definitely potential to make a mall successful on this corridor, but not every place did it right.

Block 37 on State St has improved, but still they still screwed up the original layout. The ground level and the basement levels connecting the 2 subway stations are where most of the action is

[PittsburghPA]

Great roundup today Solar, thanks for putting in the work!

[twister244]

Love the Guinness update! I keep forgetting about that project, and am super excited about it.

On the Michigan Ave discussion - I think the area definitely needs a different approach moving forward. I'm not sure exactly what the optimal approach is, but some of the ideas on slimming the road down a bit and enhancing the pedestrian experience sound great. The corridor is so wide, with great architectural viewpoints, I don't see why something creative can't be done.

I think it also depends on the exact business. Yes, traditional retail stores are sinking, but things like the massive Starbucks seem to be doing just fine.

[thegoatman]

Michigan ave needs more "experiences". That nutella museum, worlds largest starbucks, and that soon-to-open museum of ice cream are/will be huge draws.

Also road diet.

[the urban politician]

There is zero reason to believe that a road diet will do anything to enhance the financial stability of properties on the Mag Mile. This is just a small handful of Jane Jacobs enthusiasts back at their usual "lets make it all feel like we're in Paris" fantasizing again.

North Michigan Avenue has some of the best streetscaping in America. Huge sidewalks, beautiful landscaping, a large median what is not only well landscaped, but contains abundant room for people crossing the street to stand and wait. It also is a vital artery for cars, cabs, buses, etc. The only thing I can think of that may help it is to add bike lanes.

There are many more soulless and excessively wide streets out there that would benefit from a road diet, but Mag Mile just isn't one of them.

[the urban politician]

New IMD CEO wants to make IMD more liveable and like a neighborhood.

The article is behind a paywall, though

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...id-development

[tjp]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

There is zero reason to believe that a road diet will do anything to enhance the financial stability of properties on the Mag Mile. This is just a small handful of Jane Jacobs enthusiasts back at their usual "lets make it all feel like we're in Paris" fantasizing again.

North Michigan Avenue has some of the best streetscaping in America. Huge sidewalks, beautiful landscaping, a large median what is not only well landscaped, but contains abundant room for people crossing the street to stand and wait. It also is a vital artery for cars, cabs, buses, etc. The only thing I can think of that may help it is to add bike lanes.

There are many more soulless and excessively wide streets out there that would benefit from a road diet, but Mag Mile just isn't one of them.

I generally agree - though I do think it'd be cool if the sidewalks were widened enough in certain areas to make room for outdoor dining.

[thegoatman]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

New IMD CEO wants to make IMD more liveable and like a neighborhood.

The article is behind a paywall, though

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...id-development

Not making it livable by bringing in BS like that new ugly ass suburban holiday inn hotel that just got approved.

[thegoatman]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

There is zero reason to believe that a road diet will do anything to enhance the financial stability of properties on the Mag Mile. This is just a small handful of Jane Jacobs enthusiasts back at their usual "lets make it all feel like we're in Paris" fantasizing again.

North Michigan Avenue has some of the best streetscaping in America. Huge sidewalks, beautiful landscaping, a large median what is not only well landscaped, but contains abundant room for people crossing the street to stand and wait. It also is a vital artery for cars, cabs, buses, etc. The only thing I can think of that may help it is to add bike lanes.

There are many more soulless and excessively wide streets out there that would benefit from a road diet, but Mag Mile just isn't one of them.

Okay, what do you think would help then?

[k1052]

Originally Posted by tjp

I generally agree - though I do think it'd be cool if the sidewalks were widened enough in certain areas to make room for outdoor dining.

No, you heard the man. It must forever remain America's most beautiful car sewer and nothing more.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

There is zero reason to believe that a road diet will do anything to enhance the financial stability of properties on the Mag Mile. This is just a small handful of Jane Jacobs enthusiasts back at their usual "lets make it all feel like we're in Paris" fantasizing again..

Totally. Who in their right mind would want to draw inspiration from a city like Paris to revive a dying tourist district? Nobody wants to visit Paris! The people want Orlando!

Originally Posted by k1052

No, you heard the man. It must forever remain America's most beautiful car sewer and nothing more.

Anything that makes driving in from Libertyville once a year even a tiny bit harder is a non-starter. Perhaps we could just demolish the old water tower and put in gas station on Michigan Avenue?

[west-town-brad]

anyone who lives or works in the area knows that michigan ave is an major route for ambulance access to the hospital/emergency room at northwestern

there is going to be no reductions in lanes or vehicle capacity

[Handro]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

anyone who lives or works in the area knows that michigan ave is an major route for ambulance access to the hospital/emergency room at northwestern

there is going to be no reductions in lanes or vehicle capacity

Northwestern does not require 6 open lanes of traffic. In fact, they would be better served by a dedicated emergency lane that could result from a reduction in vehicle capacity.