[Eventually...Chicago]

I still say bring this sucker by me. Building it right over the tracks in the south end of grant park. Screw those LSE people, we'll take fewer exposed tracks in the south loop anytime.

[honte]

:haha:

Garfield Ridge housing plan slammed
DEVELOPMENT | Residents cite congestion, 'Section 8' fears

June 7, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN AND DAVID ROEDER fspielman@suntimes.com/droeder@suntimes.com

http://www.suntimes.com/business/417669,CST-FIN-midway07.article

Concerned about traffic congestion and neighborhood safety and fearful of subsidized housing, Garfield Ridge residents are mobilizing to block a developer's plan to build 212 homes on a predominantly vacant 5-acre tract just outside Midway Airport.

Working independently and through the Garfield Ridge Civic League, the residents are signing petitions and calling local officials to press their argument that the project should be scrapped or drastically downsized. Many criticize their alderman, Michael Zalewski of the 23rd Ward, for supporting the project over their objections.

"We don't mind single-family dwellings, but this is a joke. It would bring in 500 to 800 people" into a small area alongside an active railroad line, said Frank Hartman, whose home is near the parcel.

Developer Glenn Azuma has asked the city for a zoning change that would let him build a dozen townhomes and 200 condominiums no higher than three or four stories. The property runs from 55th to 59th streets two blocks west of Central Avenue, which is Midway's western boundary.

The land includes unused right-of-way of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad and an active line of the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago.

Richard Techman, president of the Garfield Ridge Civic League, said adding so many homes into a small space raises concerns for an area dominated by single-family housing. He said rail crossings already limit the neighborhood's access to police and fire services.

Subsidized housing isn't a part of the plan, but residents of the middle-class area on Chicago's southwestern edge tend to distrust any plan for multifamily housing.

Azuma previously told the Sun-Times he plans to market the condos to senior citizens who want to stay in the neighborhood but give up their single-family homes.

Garfield Ridge resident Carla Bowen said, "Parking is a huge issue. Section 8 [the former name of the federal government's housing subsidies] is a huge issue. We don't want it. This is a nice neighborhood. We want to keep it that way. . . . I already can't send my children to the public schools in this area. They're not safe."

Zalewski said the Section 8 argument is a "scare tactic" and that the rumors often attach themselves to any residential development in his ward.

He insisted Garfield Ridge residents have legitimate concerns about parking and traffic congestion. If city planners determine that the neighborhood can't handle the influx of homes, the development will be "scaled way down," the alderman said.

"No one is trying to hide anything or sneak anything by. Nothing is going to happen overnight until everybody looks at it to make sure it fits right. But just because some people don't like it doesn't mean it's a bad idea," he said.

Rose Campbell, a member of the civic league's board, said residents voiced their opposition to Zalewski in 2005 when he first suggested a zoning change for the property. Zalewski "just does not listen to the residents of the Garfield Ridge community," she said in an e-mail to the Sun-Times.

The development would be just a couple blocks from 55th and Central, where a skidding Southwest Airlines jet crashed through the airport fence in December 2005 and hit a car, killing a 6-year-old boy.

[forumly_chgoman]

This is unfortunate but it doesn't surprise me....they are rather cloistered down there...most development is of the outer neighborhood / suburban variety....just look as cicero around that area...strip mall hell

Garfield Ridge resident Carla Bowen said, "Parking is a huge issue. Section 8 [the former name of the federal government's housing subsidies] is a huge issue. We don't want it. This is a nice neighborhood. We want to keep it that way. . . . I already can't send my children to the public schools in this area. They're not safe."
Read oh no....that would mean there might be black people...oh for heavens sake that would be intolerable


disgusting


and just what does the below have to do with this development
The development would be just a couple blocks from 55th and Central, where a skidding Southwest Airlines jet crashed through the airport fence in December 2005 and hit a car, killing a 6-year-old boy.

[VivaLFuego]

^ Good grief. I'd upzone it just to spite them.

[forumly_chgoman]

link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-jolietmall07jun07,1,20844.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Other than just being resistant to such developments....& I thought the age of the suburban mega-mall had subsided......
...my fear over this is that it will canibalize DT Joliet which I thought had been having a bit of a renaissance over the past decade....I really think this could spell trouble for Joliet's DT.
DT Joliet could use this investment....instead it is being stuffed in some bland POS that allegedly is "ped" friendly......really.....hmm.....how does one get to the ped friendly mall?
answer: Of course one drives, each to his own single occupancy vehicle

This development is wasteful in so many ways.....why can't joliet place a decentralized development that would approach these space characteristics in its DT
Major mall proposed in Joliet
Upscale, 'pedestrian friendly' center would be located near I-55 and I-80

By Dennis Sullivan
Special to the Tribune
Published June 7, 2007

The 1.7 million-square-foot shopping center planned for Interstate Highways 55 and 80 in Joliet would dwarf the existing Westfield Louis Joliet Mall and mirror the upscale Oakbrook Center, the California-based developer said.

Chris Shane, vice president of acquisitions for O&S Holdings Inc., said the firm initially would mix entertainment and restaurants with "big box" retailers, national department stores, specialty stores and a no-frills hotel in a "pedestrian friendly" environment. In the future, the development could be expanded by 1.2 million square feet to accommodate offices and a hotel-convention center, he said.

Shane told the City Council's Public Service Committee this week that the firm has contracts on 15 contiguous parcels, or about 320 acres.

"I'd like to be moving dirt next year," he said, adding that the mall could open as early as 2009. "This is a hard corner and a major intersection; you can't do better."

O&S, with 80 developments in its portfolio, has pushed plans for developing the Joliet site as a "mixed-use, open-air lifestyle center" for about a year, but with little public fanfare.

City Planning Director Don Fisher said the proposed "super regional mall" would be nearly twice the size of the 950,000-square-foot Westfield Louis Joliet Mall. He termed the O&S project a "modern version" of the roughly 2 million-square-foot Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, with "a major hotel and conference center, and major movies."

Fisher said the project's upscale nature and visibility translate into "our best chance of getting corporate offices in the city of Joliet."

The proposal came to light recently at hearings on a controversial proposal to build a highway through the Joliet Junior College campus that would connect I-55 with Houbolt Road. City Manager John Mezera said revisions to the east-west connector plans accommodate concerns about safety, security, land use and environmental impact.

Mezera said the retail-office project could produce as much as $15 million to $20 million a year in sales tax revenue.

Joliet would provide some infrastructure improvements but won't otherwise subsidize the development, he said. The city also wants 50 percent of sales taxes earmarked to pay back bonds for Houbolt Road access improvements. The rest would go into general revenue, he said.

Some council members expressed concerns, including Finance Committee Chairman Tony Uremovic, who noted the developer is touting the location on its Web site "without our approval."

But Fisher noted that O&S has "to bring all the retailers in themselves to investigate" whether the site meets their expectations. "They have to market themselves and they have to market the site."

[Marcu]

The Garfield Ridge project is exactly the type of development we need in this city. It's near a transit line and it would cater to middle class families. The opposition to it is outright sickening.

About the Joliet mall: Malls aren't a thing of the past. Woodfield-style (confusing, and mostly indoor) malls are a thing of the past. Expect this thing to be along the lines of street of woodfield or deer park town center with some pomo or neo-classical fascade, a few benches and fountains, and the typical occupants (potbelly's, ann taylor loft, gap, barnes & noble, etc.). Here are some pics of deer park town center constructed 5 years ago or so. I'm thinking it will look something like this:
http://deerparktowncenter.tv/images/dougherty5.jpg
http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/images/5Deerpark2.jpg
Don't forget the parking
http://www.ddr.com/centers/illinois/deer_park/il_deerpark.jpg

As for draining the life out of downtown, that doesn't have to be the case. It seems to me the most successful way of revitalizing downtown has been to allow for development along the highways (eg this kind of mall) and use the tax revenue to subsidize the downtown core (through TIF or otherwise). In fact I can't think of any suburb that has successfully revitalized its downtown without implementing some variation of this model.

[alex1]

http://www.chicagojournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=60&ArticleID=3089&TM=82911.7
Mary Zavett, who lives at Michigan and Van Buren, said she cannot understand why some residents are so adamantly against having the Children's Museum in Grant Park.

"I have grandchildren in the city, and I think it would be wonderful not to have [the museum] tied up with the commercialism of Navy Pier," Zavett said. "In the long run I think it will be excellent."

this is the best remark i've heard to date.

[Steely Dan]

. It seems to me the most successful way of revitalizing downtown has been to allow for development along the highways (eg this kind of mall) and use the tax revenue to subsidize the downtown core (through TIF or otherwise). In fact I can't think of any suburb that has successfully revitalized its downtown without implementing some variation of this model.

well, evanston was able to revitalize its downtown without the aid of "development along the highways", but then evanston doesn't have any highways that run through it to begin with.

[Marcu]

well, evanston was able to revitalize its downtown without the aid of "development along the highways", but then evanston doesn't have any highways that run through it to begin with.

I stand corrected. But then again Evanston has the stripmall belt around Dodge and McCormick with a Target, Sams's Club, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. so Evanston gets plenty of tax revenue from similar sources.

[Chicago3rd]

Woodfield-style (confusing, and mostly indoor) malls are a thing of the past.

Strange...how Woodfield is doing so well as a mall........I do not like malls...but had to call you out on your false statement.

Expect this thing to be along the lines of street of woodfield

Streets of Woodfield SUCKS....

And you need to give us examples of citiese that rebuilt strong thriving downtowns cores by allowing for developement along the highways and "used the tax revenue to subsidize the downtown core." Give us some examples please.

[Chicago3rd]

I stand corrected. But then again Evanston has the stripmall belt around Dodge and McCormick with a Target, Sams's Club, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. so Evanston gets plenty of tax revenue from similar sources.

Downtown Evanston redeveloped "dispite" these other stores. I never knew Evanston had diverted taxes from these stores to create downtown....please share with the room.

[forumly_chgoman]

I stand corrected. But then again Evanston has the stripmall belt around Dodge and McCormick with a Target, Sams's Club, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc. so Evanston gets plenty of tax revenue from similar sources.
Come on you are reaching here to stress your point that strip mall along dodge is dreadful.....it really is two separate demographics between that mall and DT evanston.....to imply that this mall is responsible for the resurgence of DT evanston is disingenous

[forumly_chgoman]

The Garfield Ridge project is exactly the type of development we need in this city. It's near a transit line and it would cater to middle class families. The opposition to it is outright sickening.

About the Joliet mall: Malls aren't a thing of the past. Woodfield-style (confusing, and mostly indoor) malls are a thing of the past. Expect this thing to be along the lines of street of woodfield or deer park town center with some pomo or neo-classical fascade, a few benches and fountains, and the typical occupants (potbelly's, ann taylor loft, gap, barnes & noble, etc.). Here are some pics of deer park town center constructed 5 years ago or so. I'm thinking it will look something like this:
http://deerparktowncenter.tv/images/dougherty5.jpg
http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/images/5Deerpark2.jpg
Don't forget the parking
http://www.ddr.com/centers/illinois/deer_park/il_deerpark.jpg

As for draining the life out of downtown, that doesn't have to be the case. It seems to me the most successful way of revitalizing downtown has been to allow for development along the highways (eg this kind of mall) and use the tax revenue to subsidize the downtown core (through TIF or otherwise). In fact I can't think of any suburb that has successfully revitalized its downtown without implementing some variation of this model.

I see this more along the lines of the way that large mall and the big boxes in & around Lasalle-peru sucked the life out of it DT to a large extent in the past

Joliet is alot larger than lasalle-peru : 100K vs about 20K but I think there is a certain parallel there perhaps ad joliet really only recently has become a "suburb" of chicago, it has for most of its existence been a semi-major regional center for commerce, in parallel with the way Lasalle-Peru operatesin its region

[honte]

Come on you are reaching here to stress your point that strip mall along dodge is dreadful.....it really is two separate demographics between that mall and DT evanston.....to imply that this mall is responsible for the resurgence of DT evanston is disingenous

^ True.

But along these same lines, to compare Evanston to a "typical" Chicago suburb isn't really fair either. It's got real mass transit, a historic core built around a downtown, existing housing, student population, etc. It's really a Chicago neighborhood with its own government.

[Mr Downtown]

Both Louis Joliet Mall and this new proposal are so unrelated to downtown Joliet that they may as well be in another county. The story in that part of the world is Plainfield--and some nearby areas that Joliet has annexed, far west of the old downtown. The area west of I-55 is developing like crazy, with middle-class homeowners. They want places to shop and to take the wife for a nice dinner on Saturday night.

[forumly_chgoman]

Both Louis Joliet Mall and this new proposal are so unrelated to downtown Joliet that they may as well be in another county. The story in that part of the world is Plainfield--and some nearby areas that Joliet has annexed, far west of the old downtown. The area west of I-55 is developing like crazy, with middle-class homeowners. They want places to shop and to take the wife for a nice dinner on Saturday night.

Well thats not quite true....Joliet to Plainfield is like 7 - 10 miles......perhaps even less in spots..perhaps a touch more in others

I live in RP and that is like 9 miles + to DT Chi.....it doens't stop me from going DT

so I guess you arfe tellling me is that these people are satisfied even gratified w/ chain banality

I guess if you live in a beige vinyl house you like beige vinyl food

[Mr Downtown]

I live in RP and that is like 9 miles + to DT Chi.....it doens't stop me from going DT
Because you find something when you get there.

so I guess you are tellling me is that these people are satisfied even gratified w/ chain banality I guess if you live in a beige vinyl house you like beige vinyl food

Let's just say that downtown Joliet is not meeting these new residents' needs, either for family-friendly places like Chili's and Applebee's or for white-tablecloth places to take a date. A taqueria with fluorescent lights humming over the Formica tables and mystery meat in the tortas might be an adventure for a single young urban-dweller, but it's not a suburban family's idea of fun. Could downtown Joliet be redeveloped like Naperville has been? Possibly. But Joliet is not exactly booming (in any category other than new houses in its far west reaches), nor is its downtown surrounded by high-income residents.

[Marcu]

To respond to all the hostile remarks…

Strange...how Woodfield is doing so well as a mall........I do not like malls...but had to call you out on your false statement.

Expect this thing to be along the lines of street of woodfield

Streets of Woodfield SUCKS....

And you need to give us examples of citiese that rebuilt strong thriving downtowns cores by allowing for developement along the highways and "used the tax revenue to subsidize the downtown core." Give us some examples please.


I’m not sure I ever said Woodfield is doing poorly. I simply said that Woodfield-style malls are to passé for an average suburb and the streets of woodfield type thing is in.

As for examples of towns that rebuilt their downtowns while allowing redevelopment along highways, Champaign (where I went to school) comes to mind. The downtown was a total dump. The city was in no position to outright subsidize downtown so they allowed for all the development along Prospect and for a mall of Neil Street near the highway. The downtown was then TIFed and has experienced a tremendous rebirth, coincidentally, since the construction of the mall. Champaign is now a model for other downtstate towns as they are attempting to rebuilt their downtowns.

Downtown Evanston redeveloped "dispite" these other stores. I never knew Evanston had diverted taxes from these stores to create downtown....please share with the room.

Evanston has allowed for the construction of several mega-strip malls conveniently along town borders with Skokie, Chicago, and Wilmette.

At the same time, Downtown Evanston is covered by several TIF districts (eg the old Sherman Garage was demolished under a TIF). If you are unaware of how TIFs work, they essentially divert future tax revenue from the city. The money has to come from somewhere, so as with most towns (besides Chicago which still refuses to acknowledge that TIFs divert money), the city council has to allow for future tax revenue from other sources. In the case of Evanston, the brand new Sam’s Club on the Skokie border.

Come on you are reaching here to stress your point that strip mall along dodge is dreadful.....it really is two separate demographics between that mall and DT evanston.....to imply that this mall is responsible for the resurgence of DT evanston is disingenous

It really isn’t. The same northwest students and yuppies that live downtown also shop at Target. It’s naïve to think if we simply didn’t allow for the Target to be constructed the students would simply shop at the downtown boutiques. The only rpactical solution is to allow for both. Sure we will be taking shopping away from downtown, but it wouldn't havebeen there anyway.

[forumly_chgoman]

Because you find something when you get there.



Let's just say that downtown Joliet is not meeting these new residents' needs, either for family-friendly places like Chili's and Applebee's or for white-tablecloth places to take a date. A taqueria with fluorescent lights humming over the Formica tables and mystery meat in the tortas might be an adventure for a single young urban-dweller, but it's not a suburban family's idea of fun. Could downtown Joliet be redeveloped like Naperville has been? Possibly. But Joliet is not exactly booming (in any category other than new houses in its far west reaches), nor is its downtown surrounded by high-income residents.

I was being facetious w/ the juxtaposition btw Joliet & Chi

[forumly_chgoman]

Because you find something when you get there.



Let's just say that downtown Joliet is not meeting these new residents' needs, either for family-friendly places like Chili's and Applebee's or for white-tablecloth places to take a date. A might be an adventure for a single young urban-dweller, but it's not a suburban family's idea of fun. Could downtown Joliet be redeveloped like Naperville has been? Possibly. But Joliet is not exactly booming (in any category other than new houses in its far west reaches), nor is its downtown surrounded by high-income residents.

here is a partial list of dining options in Joliet.......

http://www.cityofjoliet.info/Dining/dining.htm

it is hardly devoid and simply the realm of "taqueria(s) with fluorescent lights humming over the Formica tables and mystery meat in the tortas"



for more on Joliet's city center: http://www.cityofjoliet.info/About-Joliet/Joliet-City-Center.htm


Maybe I am wrong....but I just think this mall thing could spell doom for Joliet's DT

[Chicago3rd]

To respond to all the hostile remarks…
I’m not sure I ever said Woodfield is doing poorly. I simply said that Woodfield-style malls are to passé for an average suburb and the streets of woodfield type thing is in.

Passe' is a lot different than your original statement.

About the Joliet mall: Malls aren't a thing of the past. Woodfield-style (confusing, and mostly indoor) malls are a thing of the past.

I'm not a fan of malls...indoor or out door nor am I a fan of big box.

NOTE in an Article below there is a history of all the TIFS in Evanston. It appears it isn't strip malls nor highways that created those strip malls...rather our good friend the TIFS:

http://www.evanstonroundtable.com/rt2004/roundtable122904/news.html
EVANSTON ROUND TABLE: Volume VII Number 26
December 29, 2004
Report Shows City’s TIF Districts on Target
By Mary Helt Gavin


At the annual meeting of the Joint Review Board, held earlier this month, City staff presented information about each of the City’s TIF, or tax-increment financing, districts. In a TIF district, the tax increment (the difference between the taxes on the property as improved and as unimproved) is paid into a TIF fund for the life of the TIF and is used for public improvements within the district. For example, in both the downtown TIFs, the tax increment is used to build the new parking garages.

The Joint Review Board is composed of representatives from taxing bodies with a stake in the TIF funds, such as the two school districts, Oakton Community College and the North Shore Mosquito Abatement Districts. The TIFs are all generating revenues at their targeted levels, said Dennis Marino, assistant City planner, and Bill Stafford, finance director.

Creating a TIF district is one way of enticing developers to an economically slow area, because for the the life of the TIF - typically 23 years - the tax increment can be used to pay for public improvements that may encourage commercial development, such as a public parking garage. However, said Mr. Marino, because the school districts do not share in the tax increment during the life of the TIF, the City in the past few years has looked to alternative means of enticing development. For example, he said, the City forged different agreements with the Dempster-Dodge, Home Depot and Main-McCormick developers.

Below is a description, provided by the City, of each of the City’s TIF districts.

Howard-Hartrey TIF: Evanston’s “downtown”
This TIF, created in 1992 and located in the southwest corner of Evanston, has been called “Evanton’s downtown” by the City’s finance department because of the sales tax revenue it generates. It includes the Jewel Food store and the big box stores of Best Buy, Target and Office Max but does not include the stand-alone businesses, said Mr. Marino. Vineyard Christian Fellowship has purchased the western half of the former Shure Brothers property - located behind the shopping center but not in the TIF - and the eastern half remains for sale, he added.
Mr. Stafford said the City has $7.7 million in bonds outstanding and added, “We’re on target.”

From a railroad spur: The (Sam’s Club) Southwest TIF
This TIF was created in 1990 from the old Northwestern Mayfair railroad line, a spur that served the industrial area of southwest Evanston, said Mr. Marino. The City paid for the relocation of Ward Manufacturing from that area to a few blocks away. “It has been fairly successful because of Sam’s Club. This is one of the top three Sam’s Clubs in Illinois,” he said.

The Food For Less store, which anchors the adjacent Evanston Market shopping area, has a different agreement with the City, said Mr. Marino. Under it the City will reimburse the developer $1.5 million in taxes over 10 years. Anna’s Linens, Marshall’s and, coming soon, Starbuck’s are part of that redevelopment agreement, not the TIF.
Property taxes there are relatively stable, said Mr. Stafford, adding that certain funds from this TIF were shared with School Districts 65 and 202 under an intergovernmental agreement.

The former incinerator and City pound: Downtown II
The property in this district - located between Emerson and Church streets from the CTA to the Metra tracks - was home at one time to the City’s incinerator, said Mr. Marino, and later to the Levy Senior Center, a Dominick’s Food Store, Dave’s Italian Kitchen and Pine Yard restaurants. It now holds the new movie theater complex, the Maple Avenue garage, the McDougal, Littell building, the 1800 Sherman building and two Optima condominium developments.
The TIF, created in 1985, is fully developed, though not all spaces are leased. Two restaurants there - Corner Bakery and Baja Fresh - closed recently.

“It was not the [Evanston] market that caused the closing but internal problems with the companies,” Acting City Manager Judith Aiello said. “Another restaurant will take the place of Baja Fresh, and a home-furnishings/soft goods type of operation will take over the Corner Bakery spot.” She added, “We’ll be adding unobtrusive greenery and public art, because we had some public art money left over [from the art for the Maple Avenue Garage].”

Mr. Stafford said revenues from the movie theaters are good; the City’s figures show more than a million movie sales annually. However, he said the parking revenue is sub par, and the City plans to revamp the fee and fine structures for all public parking in the coming fiscal year.

He added that $38 million in bonds remains to be paid but, “in spite of the bonds, we think this TIF is in healthy shape. We will be paying the bonds down aggressively.” A substantial portion of the bonds was issued to pay for the Maple Avenue garage. As in previous years, about $800,000 in funds from this TIF was transferred to the Washington National TIF, since that TIF was amended.

Washington National TIF Now Includes Sherman Plaza
Created in 1994, the Washington National TIF originally contained the Whole Foods store and the high-rise apartment building adjacent to it, said Mr. Marino. However, the TIF was amended in 1999 and the area expanded along Davis Street to include what is now the Sherman Plaza development, nearly the entire Church-Sherman-Davis-Benson block, he said.
“The taxes from this TIF were about $1 million last year and we expect about $1 million again this year,” said Mr. Stafford. Alluding to the construction of the new Sherman Avenue garage, he said, “I hope by this time next year we will have spent another $30 milliion.”

Ms. Aiello said the developer of Sherman Plaza finally closed on the loans to begin the development, which will house a new City-owned public parking garage, a residential development with 253 condominiums, and 156,000 square feet of retail, including Pier One Imports, Ann Taylor Lofts, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and Barnes and Noble [relocating from across the street].

In addition the developer is negotiating with an athletic club. “[James] Klutznick [the developer] will re-tenant the Barnes & Noble space with a soft-goods user - not a coffee shop and not a restaurant. There will be no restaurants in this development,” she said, adding, “80,000 square feet still needs to be rented. The main change is that Osco will not return to the development. The store will close. The corporate headquarters has determined that stand-alone Oscos don’t do as well as Oscos with Jewel food stores, so they’re taking a look at all the free-standing Oscos.”

Regarding the new parking garage, which will be financed with TIF funds, Ms. Aiello said the construction has begun and “We’re moving along. Design bids are coming in much higher than anticipated because of cement and steel prices. We’re doing some value engineering on the garage right now.”
It is expected the garage will take 16 or 17 months to build, she said, and the target date for the condominiums, 52 percent of which are already sold, is April, 2006.
Other TIFs

The Howard Street TIF, created earlier this year, has as yet seen no development. It runs in a thin strip along the north side of Howard Street for a large part of the block east of Chicago Avenue and includes some parcels along Chicago Avenue. “It has long been a priority for economic development. This year it yielded $669 in property taxes,” said Mr. Stafford. “The major project there is the [Chicago-based] Bristol development project. Bristol would like to build a 16-story apartment complex with 220 rental units. Our feeling is that if that development plays out it, will be a great complement to the Gateway project across the street [in Chicago].”

He also said some small businesses have expressed interest in other parcels.
In addition, the City is moving forward with a West Evanston TIF, said Mr. Stafford. “Kane McKenna [the City’s consultant] is doing a feasibility study, and we hope for a report by the end of January,” he said. Although the boundaries of the TIF - approved in concept by City Council earlier this year - are not precise, it would likely enclose much of the Church-Dodge area, as well as properties to the east, north and west of the intersection.

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[alex1]

=
Maybe I am wrong....but I just think this mall thing could spell doom for Joliet's DT

maybe.

although i feel that people today are looking for options other than malls (downtown's provide a heart and soul to places). DT Joliet has got enough momentum to sustain itself IMO.

[SolarWind]

June 8, 2007

one11 west illinois
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/382/dsc0249copyjt7.jpg

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/7993/111willinoisou9.jpg http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/9797/buildingfullng5.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6084/building3nn1.jpg

[the urban politician]

It's sad news that this thing is getting so complicated.

But I've reached a certain peace with the possibility that Chicago may some day become an office backwater. I imagine it as one of the world's great office backwaters, where all the "behind the scenes" stuff gets done that helps keep the global economy moving.

Nevertheless, having a local mega-exchange would still be nice. As I've said before, if the CBOT vote favors ICE, all blame will 100% fall on the CME for failing to open up their huge wallets.

[laro3]

blame the cbot for not seeing what will happen,for caring just about the money and not chicago.

[the urban politician]

blame the cbot for not seeing what will happen,for caring just about the money and not chicago.

^ Hey, that's business and those are the rules. If the CME wants this thing then they need to play by them. They have the financial means to win this bidding war, but they're playing a pretty damn risky game. From what the press is telling us, this one's certainly going to be close.

Once the CBOT shareholder vote takes place, can CME still up their offer or is it all over?

[ginsan2]

It's sad news that this thing is getting so complicated.

But I've reached a certain peace with the possibility that Chicago may some day become an office backwater. I imagine it as one of the world's great office backwaters, where all the "behind the scenes" stuff gets done that helps keep the global economy moving.

Nevertheless, having a local mega-exchange would still be nice. As I've said before, if the CBOT vote favors ICE, all blame will 100% fall on the CME for failing to open up their huge wallets.

Hear hear. Chicago really will become a backwater, and not a true global presence, if it doesn't develop its own financial center. CBOT/CME is the last hope it has, and I just pray it keeps it "in town".

[Marcu]

Hear hear. Chicago really will become a backwater, and not a true global presence, if it doesn't develop its own financial center. CBOT/CME is the last hope it has, and I just pray it keeps it "in town".

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. As of 2 days ago, Forbes, AP, and Reuters are still reporting that the CME deal is viewed as superior.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/07/ap3800480.html

[laro3]

goldmn sachs is behind all of this that who controlls ice and other goldman people are in the right place to monopolize the market.they have alot of money to mess things up.

[ginsan2]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. As of 2 days ago, Forbes, AP, and Reuters are still reporting that the CME deal is viewed as superior.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/07/ap3800480.html

And what about the anti-trust concerns?

[hoju]

^The last word is that the antitrust ruling should be delivered before the July 9th vote. The CME president said that he thinks it will get the green light, and push up CME's stock price and correspondingly, the value of the CBOT bid. However, a recent crains article also states that ICE investors are not happy about the CBOT deal because it makes ICE a more unwieldy takeover target for other bigger players that are interested in getting into the futures market. Thus, every piece of bad news for the ICE/CBOT merger seems to drive the ICE stock price up, thereby increasing the value of the ICE offer. So a positive ruling from the justice department could mean that the disparity in the two bids won't change much. What a complicated mess. I agree with TUP, if this bid is lost, it is the merc's fault for not using their superior resources to guarantee the win.

[the urban politician]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. As of 2 days ago, Forbes, AP, and Reuters are still reporting that the CME deal is viewed as superior.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/07/ap3800480.html

^ Yeah, but the issue is the shareholder vote. How they vote is pretty much everything at this point, regardless of how the CBOT's President/Chief Executive and so forth feel about it.

There's a huge unknown here. The Merc can do away with this uncertainty for once and for all by increasing their bid to such a level that exceeds ICE's ability to create a suitable counter-offer. Obviously the Merc has it in their own interest to keep their buying price as low as possible, but they're REALLY skimming the edge here.

My guess:

There is some inside info going around that we're not aware of (the usual case). Obviously, people are talking and the CME's boys are getting some sort of reassurance that they still have the shareholder votes to get the deal done. Otherwise, why would so many CBOT shareholders still be making so much noise about how dissatisfied they are about the deal? If they were the majority, I'm guessing that some action would have taken place from the CME's side, at least by this point.

Of course this is all my foolish speculation, and I'd love to be right. But in reality, I don't have the foggiest idea what's going to happen. Peace out.

[Patel]

It's sad news that this thing is getting so complicated.

But I've reached a certain peace with the possibility that Chicago may some day become an office backwater. I imagine it as one of the world's great office backwaters, where all the "behind the scenes" stuff gets done that helps keep the global economy moving.

Nevertheless, having a local mega-exchange would still be nice. As I've said before, if the CBOT vote favors ICE, all blame will 100% fall on the CME for failing to open up their huge wallets.


The only thing that would stop a Chicago merger is pure greed by the COBT seat holders who can only look far enough into the next 5 years and how much the can get cash wise.

Screw everyone else.

If Ice take place than it is nothing more than pure greed, no loyalty just fast cash and that is sad.

Then Chicago will be the backwater that they do not want but why would they care for they got so much pay out cash that they will have multiple houses in the world.

But their children and grandchildren will be working the taxies in Atlanta and NY hoping for the scraps that fall off the table of the billionaire will have raped Chicago.:(

[the urban politician]

^ Eh? You don't sound even remotely like your usual self there, bnk..

[Eventually...Chicago]

kind of nice to hear among the whole ice cbot cme mess

Crains online

Chicago tops for trading: magazine


June 08, 2007

(Reuters) — Da bears. Da bulls. Da traders. Chicago is the "greatest trading city in the world," according to a survey by Trader Monthly magazine.
The magazine, which is aimed at professional traders and hedge fund managers, ranked 50 cities in an effort to find the ultimate place to live and trade.

The rise of electronic markets had theoretically leveled the global playing field, making it possible to fire off winning trades while enjoying a poolside cocktail in Tahiti.

Still, Chicago, hog butcher to the world and stacker of wheat, beat out the glamorous, the glitzy, the exotic and the tax havens to take the top prize.

London, New York, Dubai and Miami rounded out the top five, in that order.

The magazine said it rated a mixture of work and lifestyle factors, from trading infrastructure, taxes and access to capital to weather, nightlife and time zone.

The latter apparently helped knock Sydney, Australia, the jewel of the South Pacific, to No. 26 on the list, below Philadelphia and only two notches above Minneapolis.

Chicago was praised for its enduring position on the commodities world's front lines. Trading is "in the city's blood," the magazine said.

The two largest U.S. futures marts and the largest U.S. options exchange all reside in the Windy City, and face-to-face trading endures alongside the electronic markets.

Affordable real estate — "practically youth-hostel rates compared to London" — also boosted Chicago while knocking down its two nearest competitors. New York was also rapped for a "deadly tax trifecta": federal, New York state and New York City taxes.

Bringing up the rear at No. 50, Stockholm was cited for beautiful people, ice-fishing — "and not much else."

Trader Monthly's survey will hit newsstands on Tuesday.

[Eventually...Chicago]

Here's that article mentioned above...

Trade Here : Best Trading Cities: #1 Chicago
June/July 2007
If the Good Lord were a speculator — and, given the steep odds against a spasmodic celestial mess of metal and dust particles coalescing over billions of years into an inhabitable planet, we’re assuming He likes to play long shots — and decided to pay earth a visit, we bet His first stop would be Chicago. When it comes to the world’s best cities for market movers, our rankings confirm what many mortals already know: This place is trader heaven.



“Chicago is ideal — economic strength and an enhanced quality of life,” longtime mayor Richard Daley told Trader Monthly when informed that his city had secured the coveted top spot on our list. Chicago Merc legend Lewis Borsellino concurs: “Trading is about discipline, perseverance and having a never-say-die attitude,” he says. “That all ties into the work ethic rooted in the Midwest. When Chicago burned down, it was rebuilt bigger and better.”

Trading isn’t just an important part of Chicago’s culture — it’s in the city’s blood. The ability to store and ship grain and other farm-produced goods during the heyday of the railroads in the 1800s made Chicago a living, breathing hub of commerce and birthed the modern commodities industry. The city itself arose on the shoulders of the two great commodities exchanges: the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. Trading titans such as Borsellino, Tom Baldwin, Leo Melamed, Joe Ritchie, Blair Hull and Richard Dennis all got their start on the floors, gladiators’ arenas where men once lined up starting at 4 a.m. just to mark their spot with tack and trading card.

Over the years, a bustling community of speculators, brokers, clearers, custodians, independents, money managers, CTAs, tech providers and tangential players grew, and to this day those groups make up the solid, stable core of Chicago, creating a trading mecca that has, in turn, spawned a citywide ethos of expansion and innovation. Archipelago, the electronic exchange that upended the way the equity markets do business, was conceived in a trader-filled room here. The Eurodollar, the futures contract that makes the world go ’round, was born here at the CME, in the largest trading pit known to man.

Couple this vibrant trading community with a relatively affordable cosmopolitan setting (replete with a knockout combination of beachfront tranquility and big-city nightlife), prime access to capital and world-class financial-services infrastructure, and it’s obvious why “Sweet Home Chicago” is music to so many traders’ ears. “As surfing is to Southern California and skiing is to Aspen, trading is to Chicago,” says options-industry elder statesman Charles Cottle, who traded (and trained traders) in dozens of cities around the world during his 25-year career — and, in the end, always came back to the shores of Lake Michigan. “With the futures industry headquartered here and all those transactions, it’s made us a center for global financial services,” says Representative Danny Davis (D., Illinois), whose district includes downtown Chicago. “It’s the city of big shoulders.”

In our rankings, Chicago didn’t crush the competition in any one category; rather, it fared so impressively across the board that it was able to pull out the top spot from among the extremely competitive “Big Three” cities — and did so even as London and New York are witnessing a barely comprehensible influx of trading wealth. For example: As tax burdens go, Chicago is no St. Thomas or Singapore, but among U.S. cities, it offers more bang for your buck than New York or even Greenwich, Connecticut. Similarly, Chicago real estate can get expensive — but rents and sale prices here are practically youth-hostel rates compared to London, where even relatively wealthy traders are increasingly finding the cost of living untenable.



Traders love action, of course, and in Chicago’s vicinity reside no fewer than 16 gambling halls and casinos, some of which float offshore on Lake Michigan. The city’s prime waterside location — ideal for sailing, volleyball, beach bars and anything else even remotely aquatic — is another big plus.

Looking to blow off a little steam? Chicago certainly has no shortage of “put” options — as in belly up to the bar and start putting them back. “Chicago traders are of a particular makeup,” says Dan Rosenthal, owner of Poag Mahone’s bar, located right across from the CBOT. “They trade hard, play hard and drink hard. They know what they want, and they go get it.” Sold.

[Patel]

^ Eh? You don't sound even remotely like your usual self there, bnk..


Sorry I felt a little bit pessimistic about this whole convoluted transaction.


But in reality I believe in that the CME COBT will happen but they just need a little local nagging I think.:shrug:


This merger IMO is as important as the Chicago Spire and the 2016 Olympics so you can see my personal desire to keep things at home.

Sorry I am not myself.

[honte]

How long does a typical trader intend to keep his job? My personal belief is that, supposing the ICE merger was a higher value, there would obviously be a high immediate payoff - but very little long-term, as all of those jobs would be going away. I think Sachs would probably figure out a way to step in and axe the whole operation, or let it dwindle down to nearly nothing.

I obviously don't know anything about this subject, but doesn't Sachs already have futures trading operations? That's what I'm getting at. Why else would they be so worried about the mega Chicago futures exchange?

[Eventually...Chicago]

who cares about having a distinct commercial district? Cities need people and people need places to live. Jobs follow where people want to be. People moved out to the suburbs long before companies began relocating there.

300 North Lasalle and bucks wacker building (can't remember address) among other proposals and projects under construction just show that with an office market that still has relatively high vacancy, 50-60 stories is about the highest it makes sense to build. If job growth goes sky high and vacancy goes down, rents go up, you will see high rises downtown. Chicago has plenty of land all over its central area to sustain new buildings for years to come

[ginsan2]

:previous:
Random thought. Chicago's relaxed zoning in the central business district will bite it 50 years from now by failing to keep a distinct comericial district apart from residential development and subsequent political accomodations. We're being very short sighted. There will never be another comercial supertall because of this.

Yeah, it doesn't matter much if there isn't a district that isn't completely designated as being 'commercial'. There's been much discussion on this board relating to the extreme benefits of mixed-use neighborhoods over zoning for purely purely residential/commercial needs.

Chicago will have a downtown with people able to afford to live there; real people, of many different ages and social classes. It's the only city in the world at this point that can say that.

That being said, however, I'm still completely surprised that Chicago won over NYC in that article. As much as I dig Chicago... :sly:

(Especially for the 'weather' part, how does being unable to enjoy outdoor activities for 10 months amount to coming in first?)

[honte]

(Especially for the 'weather' part, how does being unable to enjoy outdoor activities for 10 months amount to coming in first?)

Sorry, this is off-topic, but: Huh???? Have you tried it?

[Marcu]

Random thought. Chicago's relaxed zoning in the central business district will bite it 50 years from now by failing to keep a distinct comericial district apart from residential development and subsequent political accomodations. We're being very short sighted. There will never be another comercial supertall because of this.

Who says a city's commercial district has to be super-concentrated? We're now seeing some of Chicago's biggest and most important employers (eg Kirkland Ellis and Jenner and Block) jump the river into River North. They don't seem to mind being outside the Loop. And in my opinion, it's healthier to have a balanced mix of residential, hotel, retail, and office so that entire chunks of the city aren't abandonded after 6pm like in many other cities. It's just not an optimal use of roads, mass transit, and other infrastructure to do that. And in 50 years if there is a shortage of space and the market conditions are right, we can just start taking down some of those single-story currency exchanges and drive thrus in River North for some supertall office buildngs. Hopefully even sooner.

[ginsan2]

Sorry, this is off-topic, but: Huh???? Have you tried it?

Yeah. I live pretty close to Chicago, actually. We have terrible weather.

[ardecila]

Luke, you're not seeing the big picture - there are TONS of sites downtown where new office buildings can be built. Most of them at this point would involve demolition. However, there's a nicely-sized block on Congress that has a BP, a little parking lot, and a small garage that would be ideal for a new office building.

[ginsan2]

Luke, you're not seeing the big picture - there are TONS of sites downtown where new office buildings can be built. Most of them at this point would involve demolition. However, there's a nicely-sized block on Congress that has a BP, a little parking lot, and a small garage that would be ideal for a new office building.

I wonder, do you think they'll ever tear down the smaller, blockier skyscrapers from Chicago's past and build the sleeker, taller designs of the modern age on the sites?

Or are there already plans for such a thing? Or... Has such a thing already been done?

[the urban politician]

I wonder, do you think they'll ever tear down the smaller, blockier skyscrapers from Chicago's past and build the sleeker, taller designs of the modern age on the sites?

Or are there already plans for such a thing? Or... Has such a thing already been done?

That doesn't sound like something I'd ever like to see happen

[ardecila]

It's already happening. Look at the Hamilton Partners/Lagrange project on LaSalle that's supposed to gut the New York Life building. Look at 155 North Wacker, for which we lost two handsome 5-story Chicago School loft buildings and an unimpressive but sizable 50s building. Look at the Feds' proposal for the Federal Center expansion onto State Street, where they plan to demolish a quarter-block of prime retail frontage (although the buildings are shabby).

And those are just the office projects. I'm not gonna discuss Heritage, Legacy, 215 West Washington, etc.

We will eventually get more teardowns within the Loop. The question is, what will be torn down?

[Eventually...Chicago]

One interesting point i heard someone from hines make regarding office buildings and location.

Unlike retail and perhaps residential, where one block or even half a block can make all the difference between good location and bad location, office has become more like industrial, where the general area matters more than the specific area. For example, (and you could tell they were entering into sales pitch mode with this) 300 n lasalle is not on wacker drive, the new signature address for business. However, it is close enough that it is still equally as desirable.

I think is a trend that will continue. Residential and retail will continue to compete for the ideal properties out there, office development will just try to be close enough. I mean, in a time where most people take more than 25-30 minutes to get to work, what is another few minutes?

[SamInTheLoop]

Who says a city's commercial district has to be super-concentrated? We're now seeing some of Chicago's biggest and most important employers (eg Kirkland Ellis and Jenner and Block) jump the river into River North. They don't seem to mind being outside the Loop. And in my opinion, it's healthier to have a balanced mix of residential, hotel, retail, and office so that entire chunks of the city aren't abandonded after 6pm like in many other cities. It's just not an optimal use of roads, mass transit, and other infrastructure to do that. And in 50 years if there is a shortage of space and the market conditions are right, we can just start taking down some of those single-story currency exchanges and drive thrus in River North for some supertall office buildngs. Hopefully even sooner.


Agree 100%.....imo in the long-run it's much more important to create a diversity of uses across a much larger area downtown than it is to maintain a super-concentration of office space. Also, there are so many either vacant or highly underutlized or obsolete non-landmark worthy parcels in the downtown area that I doubt they'll all be spoken for during my lifetime (and I like to think of myself as fairly young!)

[Mr Downtown]

there's a nicely-sized block on Congress that has a BP, a little parking lot, and a small garage that would be ideal for a new office building.

A residential building, maybe, but it's too far east and south for a new office building. The office buildings in that area (Manhattan, Fisher, Plymouth, and probably soon Old Colony) are being converted to residential. The driving force in office locations seems to be walking distance from Union and Ogilvie. Easy expressway access is a secondary consideration. I'm not even sure that Franklin Point can include any significant office portion, only two blocks south of Sears Tower.

[Mr Roboto]

The driving force in office locations seems to be walking distance from Union and Ogilvie. Easy expressway access is a secondary consideration.

I agree, many of the new office buildings in the last few years are on the west side of the loop. It also helps that they have tons of express buses waiting to pick people up to go to Ill Center, but most of the people walk to work from those two stations.

Anyway, I like the deconcentration of office buildings. I would like to see the loop become more of a 24 hr area, with restaurants staying open later, more foot traffic etc. The diversity in building use is good for downtown IMO.

[ardecila]

I guess proximity to LaSalle (station) isn't good enough?

Also.. I had no idea Fisher was getting a residential conversion. I need to look into that... It's a beautiful building, I wouldn't mind living there if the price is right.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Fisher was adaptive-reused into apartments at least 6 or 7 years ago...

[Mr Downtown]

I guess proximity to LaSalle (station) isn't good enough?

Alas, no. It's all about where the decision-makers (rich executives) live, not where the bulk of the employees live. And Millennium Station is even less relevant to those decisions. Another reason we should have through-routed the commuter trains in the 20s.

[ginsan2]

Justice Department clears CME's bid for CBOT
(Crain’s) — The Justice Department on Monday cleared the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s bid to acquire the Chicago Board of Trade, saying it was unlikely to substantially reduce competition in the futures industry.

The agency had been looking into whether the combined company’s hold over 90% of U.S. futures trading and clearing would lock out competitors or reduce innovation. Its seven-month investigation concluded that it wouldn’t.

“The Antitrust Division determined that the evidence does not indicate that either the transaction or the clearing agreement is likely to reduce competition substantially,” the Justice Department said in a statement, citing plans by the New York Stock Exchange and IntercontinentalExchange Inc. to offer products that would compete directly with the combined exchange.

The CBOT’s board of directors rejected a competing takeover proposal by Intercontinental in May, even though Intercontinental’s all-stock bid values the CBOT higher than the Merc’s does.

CBOT shareholders and members are due to vote on the Merc’s plan on July 9, and CBOT executives have been meeting with members to build support for the deal.

The Merc’s stock closed up $7.44, or 1.4%, at $557.07 on Monday. Its all-stock bid now values each CBOT share at $195, well under the Board of Trade’s $201.54 close. Intercontinental’s stock closed up $3.56, or 2.4%, at $149.19, valuing the CBOT at $212 a share.

“To get the certainty associated with a DOJ announcement is obviously a very significant milestone,” says CBOT Chief Executive Bernard Dan. “We are very happy with that relult".

Hey, thanks for posting :) That was certainly a timely response to our worries over the anti-trust aspects.

[honte]

^ Fisher was adaptive-reused into apartments at least 6 or 7 years ago...


Yes, and it was done extremely well. ardecila, I would definitely suggest looking there. Not sure how well the interiors are holding up, but the exterior job was (and is) near the top of the game.

[lalucedm]

It seems like we're in a weird "sweet spot" right now where the skyscrapers from the 50s and 60s aren't old enough yet to be very historic (just like the 'scrapers from the 20s were to the people in the 60s) so I'm curious how many of these "smaller, blockier towers from Chicago's past" will be demolished before that sweet spot passes and they become historic. The much stronger preservation movement we have nowadays than was present in the 60s will keep a bunch of stupid decisions from being made, I'm sure, and hopefully what should be saved will. However, it will be interesting to see what is ultimately kept and what isn't.

[SamInTheLoop]

Yes, and it was done extremely well. ardecila, I would definitely suggest looking there. Not sure how well the interiors are holding up, but the exterior job was (and is) near the top of the game.

It's great to have a company like Village Green so dedicated to their specialty (adaptive re-use of historic downtown office towers into apartments) and so competent at execution. I can't wait for their next (Randolph Tower) project to be complete...

[honte]

^ Amen.

It seems like we're in a weird "sweet spot right now where the skyscrapers from the 50s and 60s aren't old enough yet to be very historic (just like the 'scrapers from the 20s were to the people in the 60s) so I'm curious how many of these "smaller, blockier towers from Chicago's past" will be demolished before that sweet spot passes and they become historic. The much stronger preservation movement we have nowadays than was present in the 60s will keep a bunch of stupid decisions from being made, I'm sure, and hopefully what should be saved will. However, it will be interesting to see what is ultimately kept and what isn't.


Yep, in the preservation circles, they are fond of saying that the buildings aren't "ripe" yet. They even use this expression at City Hall!

Well, to borrow their phrase, you have to let your fruits ripen on the wine - not in the back of a truck - before you know if you've got a good crop.

[Loopy]

It seems like we're in a weird "sweet spot" right now where the skyscrapers from the 50s and 60s aren't old enough yet to be very historic ... so I'm curious how many of these "smaller, blockier towers from Chicago's past" will be demolished before that sweet spot passes and they become historic. The much stronger preservation movement we have nowadays than was present in the 60s will keep a bunch of stupid decisions from being made, I'm sure, and hopefully what should be saved will. However, it will be interesting to see what is ultimately kept and what isn't.
One thing that will save the residential buildings of this era is the fact that they have all mostly gone condo. They must now be maintained perpetually, unless 100% of the owners agree to do otherwise, which is rather an unlikely scenario in most cases.

[Pandemonious]

^ Fisher was adaptive-reused into apartments at least 6 or 7 years ago...


Not that it really affects the point you guys were making, but I know at least part of it is still office space. Wheeler-Kearns and for sure at least one other firm have their offices there still. It has retail as well. These older buildings give us the opportunity to turn the loop into more of a mixed use setting.

Hopefully more of the older loop buildings, if converted, can still retain some of their original use like the Fisher Bldg, and find new uses that will complement it.

[VivaLFuego]

One thing that will save the residential buildings of this era is the fact that they have all mostly gone condo. They must now be maintained perpetually, unless 100% of the owners agree to do otherwise, which is rather an unlikely scenario in most cases.

I dunno. If the political climate in the country changed to be more similar to the early and mid twentieth century, governments would have greater power to obtain private property...I don't see any inherent reason a condo building couldn't be forcibly acquired through condemnation proceedings.

[Loopy]

^Interesting. I have always wondered about that. Does anyone know if there is a significant precedent in Illinois or anywhere else where condominium property has be ED'd?

[holygman480]

I stayed at the Burnham on State Street and there was construction across the street does anybody know what that is.

[Loopy]

It's 108 N. State, AKA "Block 37". It is a mixed-use megaproject with a transit station component.

Here is a link to the last page of it's SSP thread.

Welcome to Chicago!

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=52443&page=65

[Eventually...Chicago]

I have been wondering this, and maybe there is a finance person here who might be able to explain this. Would it be possible for ABN to spinoff Lasalle? Like if they were to offer it as an IPO to raise a monster amount of cash. I guess Lasalle is probably too coveted by the buyers of ABN (and a direct competitor to them) to allow it to not be part of the sale.

Also, why is ABN being sold in the first place again?

[Eventually...Chicago]

I cut through Millenium Park in the early evening and really noticed cracks in the concrete all over the place. The promendade walkways all had them, the retaining walls for the pavillion had them. I can just imagine what another 10 years of freeze/thaw cycles will do? It is pretty obvious that much of the surface area will need to be redone with better quality exterior treatments.

Really? i haven't noticed anything, i'll have to check it out!

Were the cracks in the concrete pavers or in an actual slab? The retaining wall sounds more serious though since the walkways are just cracks in the skim coat (likely) and probably just due to curing & shrinking of concrete. I would say that the concrete work for any ground slabs in mill. park are so reinforced that there is probably very little chance of any type of brittle structural failure.

[Pandemonious]

^Yeah, concrete is usually pretty much anticipated to develop some cracking, that doesn't have any affect on its structural stability.

[the urban politician]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/424961,CST-FIN-roeder13.article
New hotel going up in South Loop
REAL ESTATE | 236 rooms at 26th & State to be ready by the end of the summer

June 13, 2007
DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com
The convention crowd is getting a new option for lodging near McCormick Place. It's the 236-room South Loop Hotel and Suites, now under construction at 2600 S. State.
Due to open in late summer, it will be the closest hotel to the convention center besides the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, said Jerry Cooper, one of four partners in the venture. They are building on the site of the old South Loop Inn, which was demolished.

Cooper told the Sun-Times' Cheryl Jackson that the hotel is a $200 million project whose co-investors include James White and Lewis Dodd, owners of the Amber Inn on the South Side, and retired dentist Floyd Mix.

"This area is growing by leaps and bounds," said Cooper, owner of Windy City Furniture, 2221 S. Michigan, which buys and resells used hotel furniture.

More competition is on the way near McCormick Place. Several projects are in the works, including one with an oriental theme in Chinatown at Clark and Archer.

SIGNING UP: John Buck Co. said it has a second tenant for its planned office tower at 155 N. Wacker. Bridge Finance Group LLC is leaving Sears Tower to take 82,000 square feet on the top three floors of the new building. Buck said the relocation should take place in March 2010.

In March, Buck announced it secured a lease with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP to occupy 165,000 square feet within the 46-story building. It will be Buck's third new tower on Wacker.

ON THE MIDWAY: The reports by Fran Spielman and me in the Sun-Times of a developer's proposal to build 212 residential units just west of Midway Airport have generated much concern in the surrounding community. Residents have voiced an objection you still hear on the Southwest side whenever multifamily housing is the topic: that the project could become home to subsidized housing.

The term "subsidized" then morphs into "public" housing and images of a ghetto.

But the head of the development group, Glenn Azuma, said he's talking about strictly market-rate housing. He estimated prices could start at $230,000. One of his primary markets could be seniors in the Garfield Ridge area who want to stay in the neighborhood but give up the upkeep of a single-family home.

Azuma insists his project will be an improvement from the 5-acre tract now there. Last summer, the city had to roust homeless people from the property, he said.

But another issue is whether Azuma is simply proposing to jam in too many units on a narrow site that runs along railroad right-of-way from 55th to 59th streets.

GREAT QUESTION: A reader called asking when the Chicago Spire will have its groundbreaking. Developer Garrett Kelleher's attorney, Thomas Murphy, said there won't be any ceremonial kickoff for the 150-story building.

A little excavation for soil testing already has gone on, Murphy said, and a contractor for the rock caissons and the foundation should be hired any day now. Murphy also said Kelleher has leased a full floor in the nearby NBC Tower for a sales center that will open in September and will overlook the property. Spire architect Santiago Calatrava is completing a model condo that will be part of the sales center, Murphy said.

"We're not into groundbreakings. We're into ribbon-cuttings," Murphy said, looking ahead to a shindig the developer could have when the building is finished. Murphy's forecast is that the ribbon-cutting will be four years from now. Maybe the Chicago Mercantile Exchange could offer a "spire futures" contract.

[museumparktom]

Hotel under construction?

2600 S. State is still hard for me to phathom. This is way before it's time.

[Marcu]

I don't know which hotel the article is talking about but it does mention a project I'm very excited about.

More competition is on the way near McCormick Place. Several projects are in the works, including one with an oriental theme in Chinatown at Clark and Archer.


It's nice to see that the China-themed hotel we saw renders of a while back is still "in the works".

[Marcu]

From City's Web site 6-12

Daley Seeks TIF Assistance To Help Tech Firm Retain 550 Jobs
Richard M. Daley said today that a digital mapping firm proposes to retain 550 jobs in the city and create 350 more in the next five years with the help of $5 million of tax increment financing (TIF) assistance.

....

That's about $9,000 per job retained. Not bad. Especially compared to what the city paid for the Boeing jobs.

[honte]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roeder/424961,CST-FIN-roeder13.article
New hotel going up in South Loop
REAL ESTATE | 236 rooms at 26th & State to be ready by the end of the summer

June 13, 2007
DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com
The convention crowd is getting a new option for lodging near McCormick Place. It's the 236-room South Loop Hotel and Suites, now under construction at 2600 S. State.


Yeah TUP, I know it. It's on the site of a former sh%@-box motel, you know, one of the ones you see every so often on the South Side. The no-window type of courtyard motel, with a cheap Chinese place on the ground floor. No loss there.

Sorry to report that the new one isn't much to behold. It's 5-stories of tilt-up precast concrete panels with "brick pattern" stamped into them, and holes for air conditioning units.

But it is an improvement, nonetheless. With the Opera lofts happening across the street, that corner should be nicer.

[SamInTheLoop]

$200 million?! I don't think so!! I had a feeling this would be some low-rise POS - I'm surprised Roeder didn't scrutinize that ridiculous construction cost before he went to print with it!! I think it probably has an extra "0" on the end!!

[the urban politician]

$200 million?! I don't think so!! I had a feeling this would be some low-rise POS - I'm surprised Roeder didn't scrutinize that ridiculous construction cost before he went to print with it!! I think it probably has an extra "0" on the end!!


^ Great point. That HAS to be a type-O

[nomarandlee]

can someone tell me how many acres are on a standard city block? I am trying to think how many acres the post office site in River North will be if/when it becomes a park.

[pip]

^The post office on Grand?

[nomarandlee]

^The post office on Grand?

yea, isn't that the PO that has been mentioned converting into a park?

[pip]

^If so then this is a great idea. That building is so out of place for being so close to downtown and yes that area needs a park bad.

[honte]

Yes, that's the one, along with the cool modern firehouse on Dearborn behind the old Courthouse. :(

[ardecila]

What's with the love for the Post Office? It's a huge, flat, undifferentiated brick box. Theoretically, it's "different" from the buildings around it by having flat continuous walls. In practice, it seems hostile and unwelcoming to anybody walking by. It's not good architecture, just boring architecture.

The PO could easily relocate into some space in the old Ward's building, if it hasn't been fully leased yet.

If you wanna make a case for the firehouse, fine. I can see some merit to that at least.

[Pandemonious]

can someone tell me how many acres are on a standard city block? I am trying to think how many acres the post office site in River North will be if/when it becomes a park.


This website gives a pretty good explanation of the Chicago grid, and should more than answer your question.
http://www.metroplanning.org/zoningGuide/zoning_chicago.html



I am actually also kind of fond of the firehouse on Dearborn. I hope it doesn't get torn down. The post office can be knocked over tomorrow for all I care though, and it is a great spot for a small sized park... which are severely lacking in the northern section of downtown. The one over at the AMA is a good example of a nice little park space, as well as the larger one at Newberry Library.

Hopefully they can do something a little bit unique with this park design.. not as lavish as say Millennium Park, but something a little more thought out than just an open green area with a few trees and benches, would be nice :)

[honte]

What's with the love for the Post Office? It's a huge, flat, undifferentiated brick box. Theoretically, it's "different" from the buildings around it by having flat continuous walls. In practice, it seems hostile and unwelcoming to anybody walking by. It's not good architecture, just boring architecture.

The PO could easily relocate into some space in the old Ward's building, if it hasn't been fully leased yet.

If you wanna make a case for the firehouse, fine. I can see some merit to that at least.

Well, we've been through this before, and I certainly didn't make any friends in the process... so I will be very brief.

The PO was designed by Myron Goldsmith (Mies, SOM), and is an interesting example of his smaller work. It's not a masterpiece, but it is very high-grade modernism. At one time, I really detested it. Then I found out it was his work, and I decided to give it another shot.

The brickwork is interesting. It is brick veneer that is clearly expressed as brick veneer to be true to construction as Mies would have directed. As such, there are mitered joints at the corners, very unusual in brick construction.

If you take a look at Myron's other brick buildings, which I am guessing not many have because they are few and far between, you may get a better appreciation for his minimalist style and how expertly he handled brick. Then the Post Office might strike you in a different light.

For me, I see it now as a very sensible, handsome, and reserved Modernist building in a sea of tacky and pretty crude concrete high-rises. I think the entry is great. It's stood up well to the elements over time. The waffle slab and honesty in showing the post office operations within is refreshing.

But I would agree that the firehouse is a more powerful and overt design overall.

[honte]

http://chicagorealestatedaily.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=25344
June 14, 2007

Lux furniture designer to open store on Near West SideBy Meghan Streit

A luxury furniture designer owned by Kohler Co. Interiors Group plans to open a flagship store this fall on the Near West Side.

The retail store is to occupy the 12,500-square-foot three-story building at 825 W. Chicago Ave. Kohler chose the location because of its prominent corner placement and ample space for parking, says John Paul Beitler III, managing broker at Beitler Properties LLC, who negotiated the 10-year lease on behalf of Kohler.

Despite some retail development, the area currently is not regarded as a popular shopping district.

“We were very much open to the idea of doing some pioneering, and being a catalyst to retail development in the area,” says Lee Ross, manager of business development for Kohler Interiors.

CB Richard Ellis broker Todd Siegel represented building owner River West Management in the transaction.

The designer, Baker Knapp & Tubbs Inc., previously sold much of its furniture through Marshall Field’s. The company continues to sell through Macy’s, but is eager to create a larger presence in Chicago with a stand-alone store, Mr. Ross says.

“They were really having a tough time finding a unique retail space that would act as a backdrop for all of their unique furniture,” Mr. Beitler says.

The building, formerly used as an art gallery, will undergo extensive interior and exterior renovations.

Kohler Co. Interiors Group also includes McGuire, a high-end furniture designer, and Ann Sacks, a tile, stone and plumbing seller. Kohler Interiors is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kohler Co., the Wisconsin-based kitchen and bath manufacturer.

Mr. Beitler also negotiated leases for all three Kohler Interiors brands in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the brands will occupy 12,600 square feet in a store in the Scottsdale Airpark Design Center. The company originally was looking to lease space for a store that would carry only Baker furniture.

Baker presently has a retail store in Deerfield. Mr. Beitler says Kohler Interiors may open additional Chicago-area locations, possibly including a shop that showcases all three brands, as in Scottsdale.

Beitler Properties was founded by Mr. Beitler two years ago as the leasing and management unit of Beitler Real Estae Corp. Mr. Beitler is the son of prominent Chicago developer J. Paul Beitler, who founded Beitler Real Estate Corp. in 1982. Before joining his father’s firm, the younger Mr. Beitler worked for Chicago-based law firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw LLP.

[Marcu]

Chicago Merc sweetens bid for CBOT


By Ann Saphir
June 14, 2007

(Crain’s) — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange boosted its offer for the Chicago Board of Trade a second time in an effort to shut out rival bidder IntercontinentalExchange Inc.

CBOT directors embraced the Merc’s latest overture, repeating what they have said since the takeover battle began: that they believe a merger between Chicago’s futures exchanges is a better deal than a CBOT link with Atlanta-based Intercontinental.

But with a July 9 vote approaching, some CBOT members remain unimpressed.

“This just doesn’t do it,” said Lawrence Dorf, a CBOT shareholder who says he’s already voted against the Merc deal. “The Merc still hasn’t addressed the share price issue. They are losing this deal.”

The Merc’s proposal gives CBOT shareholders 0.35 shares of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. stock for every CBOT share, valuing CBOT at $10.2 billion. Intercontinental’s offer puts CBOT’s value at $11.4 billion.

The Merc’s new offer adds a $9.14-per-share dividend to all CBOT shareholders and guarantees a minimum $500,000 payout for an options-trading right that’s the center of a legal dispute with neighboring Chicago Board Options Exchange.

Intercontinental on Tuesday submitted its own proposal that also guaranteed a $500,000 payment. "We are evaluating the latest CME proposal and continue to believe that ICE's proposal is clearly superior," an Intercontinental spokeswoman said Thursday.

A key difference, Merc CEO Craig Donohue told investors Thursday, is that his deal allows CBOT members to get even more for their exercise right if they opt to stay in the lawsuit against the CBOE and the lawsuit ultimately prevails.

“We believe this is the final ingredient to complete our merger as we enhance value for all CBOT shareholders while providing a valuable guarantee for the exercise-rights holders,” Mr. Donohue said. “Many CBOT members view the CBOE-ICE proposal as ineffective and inadequate.”

The Merc deal also extends to five years, from two years, a governance arrangement that would ensure CBOT members continue to get trading-fee discounts. Intercontinental’s deal includes a six-year guarantee that some members view as inferior because the final three years provide a minimum discount that’s far less valuable than the discount available today. Without member-fee discounts, CBOT memberships, which trade for more than $600,000 each, would be worth far less, traders say.

CBOT Chairman Charles Carey, who would be vice-chairman at a combined Merc-CBOT but wouldn’t have a guaranteed place on an ICE-CBOT board, reiterated Thursday CBOT’s view that integrating with Intercontinental could distract management from its core business of improving systems and developing new products for trading. The Merc deal “presents significantly less integration and execution risk than a combination with ICE,” he said.

CBOT shareholders must vote on the deal by July 9. On Wednesday, Intercontinental CEO Jeffrey Sprecher began a proxy fight, urging CBOT investors to reject the Merc’s proposal.

“Given the fact that most people believe the CME is by far the better long-term investment, and since they satisfied the two major concerns they had about the CME or the ICE or any other potential acquirer, I believe the vote will carry on July 9,” said Nickolas Neubauer, a former CBOT chairman.

Whatever their view on the Merc proposal, CBOT members can agree on one fact: CBOT shares have risen more than 50% since the Merc inked its original agreement to buy CBOT in October.

“The only good thing is that it seems no matter what happens, the shareholders of the Board of Trade are benefiting,” Mr. Dorf said.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=25341

[VivaLFuego]

Looks like the Jewel at the SW corner of Des Plaines and Kinzie is in site prep...the changes in the area (truck staging fields, parking, and urban desert ---> highrise residential neighborhood) are exciting to watch unfold.

[Mr Downtown]

can someone tell me how many acres are on a standard city block?

A standard Chicago city block contains private property measuring 594 x 264 feet. That's 156,816 square feet, or 3.6 acres.

I am trying to think how many acres the post office site in River North will be if/when it becomes a park.

River North blocks are the city's smallest. The private property measures 320 x 218 feet. That's 69,760 square feet, or 1.6 acres.

For comparison, Washington Square is 316 feet on a side, or 2.3 acres.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ That's great news! It's about time. The supermarket will only help accelerate development of the K Station area...

[SamInTheLoop]

Surprised nobody brought this up yet......

Chicago is neither London nor New York. Two things need to happen BEFORE downtown Chicago would be ready for any type of congestion tax, and both will take many, many years.

1) Much, much More densification in Loop, all near-Loop neighbohoods (particularly more residential development).
, and much, much more dense transit-oriented development throughout the city.

2) Massive public transit improvements (the CTA is not remotely equipped to handle the type of increase in ridership that would be the intential result of such a tax, and simple logic dictates that these huge improvements in capacity and network need to take place BEFORE such a tax takes effect - and not afterward (funded by the tax itself)

Until both happen, imo a congestion tax will do more harm economically than good. Downtown Chicago competes for jobs and economic development with its suburbs much more intensely than London and NY. Such a tax would put downtown at a further disadvantage cost-wise....

It's not the principle of the tax I disagree with, its the practicality (or lack thereof) for downtown Chicago. Chicago might be ready for such a measure in 15 or 20 years, after the above 2 pre-requisites have occurred. In the meantime, I'll continue to do my part to alleviate traffic congestion by walking as my primary means of transportation and using the CTA as a secondary...

[Marcu]

2) Massive public transit improvements (the CTA is not remotely equipped to handle the type of increase in ridership that would be the intential result of such a tax, and simple logic dictates that these huge improvements in capacity and network need to take place BEFORE such a tax takes effect - and not afterward (funded by the tax itself)



Agreed. Also it seems an easier, less costly option would just be to tax parking to death. After all we don't actually want people traveling through the loop to stay on the roads longer by avoiding the loop and taking a longer detour. We're really going after the people that stay in the loop.

[Alliance]

Surprised nobody brought this up yet......

Chicago is neither London nor New York. Two things need to happen BEFORE downtown Chicago would be ready for any type of congestion tax, and both will take many, many years.

1) Much More densification in Loop and all near-Loop neighbohoods (particularly more residential development).

2) Massive public transit improvements (the CTA is not remotely equipped to handle the type of increase in ridership that would be the intential result of such a tax, and simple logic dictates that these huge improvements in capacity and network need to take place BEFORE such a tax takes effect - and not afterward (funded by the tax itself)

Until both happen, imo a congestion tax will do more harm economically than good. Downtown Chicago competes for jobs and economic development with its suburbs much more intensely than London and NY. Such a tax would put downtown at a further disadvantage cost-wise....

It's not the principle of the tax I disagree with, its the practicality (or lack thereof) for downtown Chicago. Chicago might be ready for such a measure in 15 or 20 years, after the above 2 pre-requisites have occurred. In the meantime, I'll continue to do my part to alleviate traffic congestion by walking as my primary means of transportation and using the CTA as a secondary...

I totally agree. We should by trying to increase the density of businesses and residents downtown as much as we can. This city certainly needs to be over 3 million by the next census imo.

[BorisMolotov]

^ Why, what would that get us? Some bragging rights? Just let it grow how it grows.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/realestate/chi-wonder_re_06-17jun17,0,7927773.story?coll=chi-classifiedrealestate-hed

Wonder Bread site to host new residences

By Jeanette Almada
Special to the Tribune
Published June 17, 2007

A residential development planned for the former Hostess Wonder Bread site on West Diversey Parkway signals the transformation of another manufacturing district, this one in Lincoln Park, into a residential neighborhood.

The Chicago Plan Commission on May 17 approved new zoning for 1301 W. Diversey Pkwy., where Interstate Bakeries Corp., manufacturer of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, operated a depot and thrift store.

Through an entity called 1301 West Diversey LLC, local developer Next Realty Midwest will build a 25-unit residential project on the 1.31-acre site. Following Interstate Bakeries' 2005 bankruptcy filing, the baker sold the building to 1301 West Diversey for about $7 million, according to reports on court records.

Because Plan Commission approval came under then-Ald. Ted Matlak (32) and City Council approval will be sought under newly elected Ald. Scott Waguespack, the development team has been silent about the project.

The developer has owned the property since October 2005, according to the rezoning application. It won approval to build up to 12 townhouses and 13 single-family houses. The three-story townhouses will be on the north end of the site; six will face Diversey and six will face Lakewood Avenue.

But 1301 West Diversey LLC will act more as a master developer regarding the single-family homes on the south end of the site. It is selling lots to other developers or buyers who will have houses built.

Jameson Realty Group is handling those sales. "We have already sold seven. They are selling for around the middle $700,000," Charles Huzenis, Jameson's president, said June 8.

Builders will be subject to the development agreement with the city, according to the Department of Planning and Development project manager who spoke to plan commissioners in May.

The developer has had two meetings with area residents and has altered plans to build condominiums because of community concerns.

In his last meeting as a plan commissioner, then-Ald. Burton Natarus (42) warned commissioners about revenue losses that the city will incur as manufacturing districts are re-invented as residential neighborhoods. "In this evolutionary change from manufacturing to residential use, we should look at density ... and should not be afraid of density," Natarus said. "Residential taxes are at 17.5 percent where manufacturer taxes were at 30 to 40 percent. So that is something we need to start studying," Natarus said.

The closing of Peerless Confection Co., across Lakewood Avenue from the development site, is likely to contribute to the area's new residential ambience.

Not only do residents speculate that condos will go up on the Peerless site, but railroad tracks that once brought deliveries to Hostess Wonder and Peerless will no longer be used, an attorney for the developer told plan commissioners.

Chicago-based Pappageorge Haymes LTD is designing the project.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/realestate/chi-logan_re_06-17jun17,0,7337936.story?coll=chi-classifiedrealestate-hed

Plan sought for Logan Square landmark site

By Jeanette Almada
Special to the Tribune
Published June 17, 2007

City officials are looking for a commercial or mixed-use developer to redevelop a landmark commercial site in Logan Square.

The site consists of two buildings with a combined 9,000 square feet of space: the six-story Morris B. Sachs Building at 2800-02 W. Milwaukee Ave., a city landmark with a Payless Shoe Store operating via a long-term lease on the ground floor and upper floors that have been vacant 20 years; and a two-story mixed-use building at 2812 N. Milwaukee Ave., which is also known as 3416 W. Diversey Ave.

Logan Square residents and leaders anticipate that finding a new use for the Sachs building could draw investment to the commercial district around the intersection of Diversey, Kimball and Milwaukee Avenues, a city Landmark District with six landmark buildings.

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development, which issued a request for development proposals May 29, will consider rezoning the properties for residential use but will not consider demolition of the Sachs building.

Both properties are owned by Milkimsey LLC, a developer that previously worked with city planners to find a new use for the Sachs Building and sought to buy in the area. But the death of Milkimsey principal Gary Poter of Poter Construction changed those plans; Milkimsey is now selling.

Though developers have expressed interest in buying the buildings, the city is working to acquire them to assure that redevelopment conforms with landmark standards.

The city's acquisition of the two buildings should be completed this year, a Chicago Department of Planning and Development project manager told the Community Development Commission May 8.

[the urban politician]

[url]"In this evolutionary change from manufacturing to residential use, we should look at density ... and should not be afraid of density," Natarus said. "Residential taxes are at 17.5 percent where manufacturer taxes were at 30 to 40 percent. So that is something we need to start studying," Natarus said.

^ Right on. I'm sure Natarus was voted out for a good reason, but can somebody remind me why?

[honte]

^ Right on. I'm sure Natarus was voted out for a good reason, but can somebody remind me why?

I hope your question wasn't rhetorical.

A lot of people on this board will tell you that it was all the NIMBYs and all of the newcomers, but those were always there, and Natarus worked right along with them on many issues such as the stupid parking lot in the Gold Coast on LSD.

My opinion is that people lost confidence in his ability to run the ward. I sure did. He was a total flake. Contradicted himself in the same speech, sometimes in the same few sentences. Said whatever came to mind, blurted things out at random in meetings, had very little respect for other people in government. At a few meetings I went to, I could see city officials shaking their heads in amazement as he carried on, only to kiss his butt once he finished.

[BVictor1]

I hope your question wasn't rhetorical.

A lot of people on this board will tell you that it was all the NIMBYs and all of the newcomers, but those were always there, and Natarus worked right along with them on many issues such as the stupid parking lot in the Gold Coast on LSD.

My opinion is that people lost confidence in his ability to run the ward. I sure did. He was a total flake. Contradicted himself in the same speech, sometimes in the same few sentences. Said whatever came to mind, blurted things out at random in meetings, had very little respect for other people in government. At a few meetings I went to, I could see city officials shaking their heads in amazement as he carried on, only to kiss his butt once he finished.

So then he was a politician then huh?!...

[honte]

^ :haha: Yeah, maybe one of the best.

[VivaLFuego]

Well, Natarus was also booted because his opponent ran a very expensive campaign bankrolled by the unions.

Maybe I misread that article, but were people talking about being "afraid of density" in regards to a 25-unit development? Ugh.

[SportsWorld]

Do people foresee into the future and see the skyline getting bigger South by One Museum Park?