CHICAGO | City Casino

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Ugh. Getting worse and worse. They have deleted the street connection at Erie to appease WaterSaver. Seriously, screw that guy, he doesn't own a city street - if he can't load trucks inside his own property, he shouldn't be there in the first place. Not to mention that he took millions of dollars from the city to expand his business, now he acting like an entitled jerk when the city asks for his cooperation in developing the area.

The Erie St connection still seems to be there in the map BVictor1 poster

[twister244]

Is there a link to the slide deck? That Twitter thread has a link to the slides on the temporary casino, but I don't see a direct link to the slides presented on the official casino, unless I missed something.....

[emailspyro@gmail.com]

I still can’t tell where the protected bike path will go. Can someone highlight? Does it even connect to a river trail north or south ?

[r18tdi]

Well there is no trail south because Kinzie Park NIMBYS and their suburban gated community. I assume Onni will build a riverwalk to the north, but it involves crossing multiples lanes of traffic on Chicago...

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Ugh. Getting worse and worse. They have deleted the street connection at Erie to appease WaterSaver. Seriously, screw that guy, he doesn't own a city street - if he can't load trucks inside his own property, he shouldn't be there in the first place. Not to mention that he took millions of dollars from the city to expand his business, now he acting like an entitled jerk when the city asks for his cooperation in developing the area.

kinda amusing to say screw-you to one private property owner to appease another private property owner, both of which are taking or have taken millions of city money to create or expand their private businesses, both of which want to decide what happens on city streets no one owns.

[r18tdi]

I'm no lawyer, but I feel in my gut that WaterSaver has a constitutional right to accept handouts from the city to takeover a public street and use it as their private loading dock for semis. We need to support job creators.

[Randomguy34]

Here's their presentation for next week's Plan Commission: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/...C_PD_draft.pdf

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Here's their presentation for next week's Plan Commission: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/...C_PD_draft.pdf

I'm not impressed with the vertical scale.

[Randomguy34]

Another thing that's note worthy is slide 6 shows an updated route for a potential transitway. This new route goes from Ogilvie, runs through the casino site, and then parallels Elston Ave, rather than going through Goose Island like previous sketches.

Nothing of course is official, but it would be interesting if this acted as a local route between West Loop and Lincoln Yards with stops every half-mile, while letting Metra UP-N & -NW act as an express route.

[thegoatman]

all these megaprojects should be supported by added transit stations.

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by BVictor1

I'm not impressed with the vertical scale.

4800 units. I'm okay with any height if they build out to that density.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by untitledreality

4800 units. I'm okay with any height if they build out to that density.

6000 units

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

The Erie St connection still seems to be there in the map BVictor1 poster

It was moved from Phase I to an vaguely defined Phase II, so it might as well have been deleted. You usually only get one bite at the apple with these traffic issues, it's best to rip the band-aid off all at once or you're stuck with weird dead-ends and cul-de-sacs forever. It's a good thing Burnett is alderman or the site plan would be even worse.

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

kinda amusing to say screw-you to one private property owner to appease another private property owner, both of which are taking or have taken millions of city money to create or expand their private businesses, both of which want to decide what happens on city streets no one owns.

I don't see how the city choosing to make better use of an existing public street is "appeasing" anybody. It's in the public interest to restore Erie St all the way through, and even across the river. If it weren't so hideously expensive, the city should rebuild a car bridge at Erie and not just a pedestrian bridge... but I will take a pedestrian bridge as an quiet walk/bike alternate to the auto sewers on Chicago and Grand.

Originally Posted by r18tdi

I'm no lawyer, but I feel in my gut that WaterSaver has a constitutional right to accept handouts from the city to takeover a public street and use it as their private loading dock for semis. We need to support job creators.

I will assume this is tongue-in-cheek... anyway, I listened to the Crain's podcast and they don't actually load trucks in the street, they just need to maneuver trucks into their loading dock. Which happens all the time on major Chicago arterials. Bear Stewart at Damen/Augusta comes to mind. It happens at my local bus stop every morning too for a food distributor there. It's not a good reason to keep Erie as a dead-end. Seems like the WaterSaver owner is making a mountain out of a molehill.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Another thing that's note worthy is slide 6 shows an updated route for a potential transitway. This new route goes from Ogilvie, runs through the casino site, and then parallels Elston Ave, rather than going through Goose Island like previous sketches.

Nothing of course is official, but it would be interesting if this acted as a local route between West Loop and Lincoln Yards with stops every half-mile, while letting Metra UP-N & -NW act as an express route.

I wouldn't read too much into it. The city's preferred route has changed a few times I think, and if they want Federal money they have to do an alternatives analysis anyway where they will consider different route options publicly.

That said, using Elston is pretty disappointing. It's pretty congested so it shouldn't be a BRT route unless they can somehow widen it, but that would anger the car dealerships. The previous plan was to build a bus and bike bridge at Ogden to link onto Goose Island, but that angered Bigane Paving who is squatting on the old Ogden ROW.

[IrishIllini]

I'd love to see some rail transit in Chicago that doesn't run N/S or E/W from the Loop, but knowing that's what we do, how about settling w/ a subway line under Clybourn & Halsted. Hits close enough to the Loop and would give connections to the entirety of the L network from Union and Ogilvie without having to go into the Loop...albeit you're already pretty much there, but still...puts the West Loop office market & restaurant/bar scene in direct reach of all the city dwellers on the N and S sides.

Elston do be having a lot of potential, but I don't think it's ready for any transit improvements above BRT. Bummer so many people hate the bus but like the L. Functionally they are no different, but the L is much sexier, lol.

[thegoatman]

^The L doesn't get stuck in traffic lol

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

^The L doesn't get stuck in traffic lol

True, but I don't think Elston on the whole is bad for traffic. Clybourn is magnitudes worse.

[Kngkyle]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

I'd love to see some rail transit in Chicago that doesn't run N/S or E/W from the Loop, but knowing that's what we do, how about settling w/ a subway line under Clybourn & Halsted. Hits close enough to the Loop and would give connections to the entirety of the L network from Union and Ogilvie without having to go into the Loop...albeit you're already pretty much there, but still...puts the West Loop office market & restaurant/bar scene in direct reach of all the city dwellers on the N and S sides.

Elston do be having a lot of potential, but I don't think it's ready for any transit improvements above BRT. Bummer so many people hate the bus but like the L. Functionally they are no different, but the L is much sexier, lol.

I prefer the bus to the L if the travel times are similar but the bus suffers from having to stop every 12 feet. The stops are WAY too close together.

[BrinChi]

^ Yes I assume the frequent stops are for ADA reasons. But it would be nice if they had ADA stops only (i.e. you have to have a physical disability to get picked up or dropped off at the stop).

[gandalf612]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

^ Yes I assume the frequent stops are for ADA reasons. But it would be nice if they had ADA stops only (i.e. you have to have a physical disability to get picked up or dropped off at the stop).

Other cities have longer stop intervals so I highly doubt that is it