CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by aaron38

I don't get it. Nobu is taking forever to open, AND they're putting in heated sidewalks?

I mean if you're already late to the West Loop party, might as well be late in style

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

Thank you for providing all of these! All look promising. I'm especially excited for 900 W Fulton due to the fine-grain nature. I understand they are probably only saving those side buildings and building taller between them because of the landmark district, but this is so much superior to knocking and building something larger. The city should look for ways to incentivize this development approach more often.

Agree. Of this particular set, I would look forward to 900 Fulton more than the others, and am thankful for the landmark district.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by ardecila

It's not clear from the article whether the fault lies with the GSA or the city, which was going to purchase the buildings from GSA and flip them to the developer. The immediate issue is that the city canceled its purchase agreement with GSA citing ongoing security concerns, but CA Ventures said the concerns were addressed.

Of course, given the background info provided by Ned, I'm not sure there was anything CA could realistically do to make its project acceptable to GSA. It's hard to do a highrise residential building with no windows on one side, and even harder when you're trying to repurpose existing buildings. Pretty much impossible to do a highrise residential building with no windows on TWO sides. I suppose if you abandon the idea of infilling between the two towers, there are other possibilities - but the loss of rentable square footage would require a corresponding drop in the purchase price of the buildings.

I'm guessing there is more going on here than just security concerns - somebody with clout didn't want this project to happen, or somebody at the city made demands of the developer (affordable housing, maybe?) that they weren't willing or able to meet.

I'm inclined to agree with your guess. The facts, at least as presented in the article, don't completely add up to me. If CA addressed the concerns, then why did the deal fall through again? Also, I would like to know more about the process on the GSA side here - in terms of the official channels thru which the security concerns impacted the deal. Was the GSA putting in a restrictive covenant to specifically address the security concerns?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by rgarri4

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Does that mean this proposal at 1200 Fulton is dead?

Yep, that design is dead. Crains has an article about it from today. This is a spec project:

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...roject-why-not

The Ryan site is just south of a parcel where Chicago developer Sterling Bay plans a 14-story office building. Though market’s getting crowded, Ryan executive Toby Veit doesn’t expect the music to stop anytime soon.

“It’s got a lot of momentum,” said Veit, vice president of development in Ryan’s Naperville office. “While there’s a good amount of supply, the demand is being met.”

..

Ryan would build its project on a block where another development group, IBT Group and local hedge-fund investor Andrew Bluhm, planned an even bigger proposal more than two years ago. In November 2017, IBT and Bluhm unveiled designs for 1.2 million-square-foot office, retail and hotel development on the block, which is bounded by Fulton Market, Racine and Carroll avenues and Elizabeth Street.

But Bluhm and Chicago-based have IBT parted ways, and IBT now is teaming up with Ryan as co-developers of Axis West. Their project is smaller mainly because they control a smaller site: about two acres, versus 3.3 acres for the IBT-Bluhm project, Veit said. He declined to say how much the development would cost.

Designed by CallisonRTKL, Axis West would include a large plaza on Fulton bordered on both sides by retail space. Ryan and IBT plan to lease a big chunk of the upper-floor retail space to a “flagship fitness” club, Veit said.

The developers plan to break ground next fall, beginning construction on speculation, or “spec,” without securing leases with office tenants in advance.

[rgarri4]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

This is Chicago, a "hulking mass of a building" is totally acceptable here as long as it is well dressed. See Sears, Merch Mart, McCormick East, Old Post Office, etc. In fact, in context this is but a wee lil building...

Yeah it looks massive now but eventually it will get swallowed up into the skyline.

[rgarri4]

[QUOTE=marothisu;8778822]Yep, that design is dead. Crains has an article about it from today. This is a spec project:

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...roject-why-not

Thanks for sharing. Original design was probably too tall but liked it.

[marothisu]

[QUOTE=rgarri4;8778845]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yep, that design is dead. Crains has an article about it from today. This is a spec project:

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...roject-why-not

Thanks for sharing. Original design was probably too tall but liked it.

I think the new one might be taller? Tallest building in the new design is 300 feet tall and the other building is 240 feet.

[rgarri4]

[QUOTE=marothisu;8778846]

Originally Posted by rgarri4

I think the new one might be taller? Tallest building in the new design is 300 feet tall and the other building is 240 feet.

Oh snap. I had the old design way taller in my 3d model haha.

[MorganChi]

https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/...ooks-fabulous/



I forgot all about this building

[harryc]

Originally Posted by MorganChi

https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/...ooks-fabulous/



I forgot all about this building

No worries - if and when anything starts I will be right on top of it - literally.

[Ricochet48]

Originally Posted by harryc

No worries - if and when anything starts I will be right on top of it - literally.

Ditto, views from the Sterling.

Great location and solid infill imo, but I'm wondering how many hotel rooms this area can absorb. What's going on with the two buildings (1 a hotel) surrounding the old English building on LaSalle & Hubbard/Illinois? Maybe it'll be a race between both

[r18tdi]

Third day in a row I've seen no worker activity at the Bentham. Early holiday vacation or is that one having issues?

[Hourstrooper]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Third day in a row I've seen no worker activity at the Bentham. Early holiday vacation or is that one having issues?

its a very slow developing project

[marothisu]

Now that I'm putting it on here, I'm sure Curbed will have an article about it tomorrow. Building permit was issued on Tuesday for new construction of a 25 story, 344 unit building with ground floor retail at 410 S Wabash (Wabash & Van Buren)

Currently a surface parking lot: https://www.google.com/maps/place/41...7!4d-87.626321

[BuildThemTaller]

Aaaaaaaaahhhh!! a GHOST TRAIN!!!!!!

In all seriousness, this is great news. Another parking lot will be torn up for a dense urban development.

[rlw777]

^^ Cool for some reason I thought those parking lots at that corner were all owned by Roosevelt University and thus wouldn't be developed for a long time.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by rlw777

^^ Cool for some reason I thought those parking lots at that corner were all owned by Roosevelt University and thus wouldn't be developed for a long time.

Yep, and I despise those lots!

[Randomguy34]

How many vacant lots w/o active proposals are there now in the Loop? I'm counting about 3, depending on if you consider 130 N Franklin an active proposal or not

[harryc]

Dec 18

[aaron38]

More activity along the Green line is always welcome.