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  #15661  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 4:28 AM
denizen467 denizen467 is offline
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^ True, the darn street will probably closed again in another year or so. Hopefully, in contrast to river bridges, the viaduct work can somehow be done in halves so a lane or two is always open.
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  #15662  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 3:29 PM
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^ I can also confirm that Halsted is finally passable again, connecting Lincoln Park and River West (is that what it's called?) across Goose Island for the first time in about a year and half.
Praise Jebus!

as a west loop cyclist, i've been waiting and waiting for halsted to reopen because it's the only really convenient way to get north across the river from where i'm at without having to detour over through river north first.
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  #15663  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 4:30 PM
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Halsted has been open since January all the way through for pedestrians and bicyclists. It was only closed to vehicular traffic. The only full closure was for the installment of that blue arch span which was wrapped up early winter. I was happy they still allowed passage on the Chicago / Halsted bridge.
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  #15664  
Old Posted May 4, 2012, 5:24 PM
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^ really, i didn't know that the bridge section just north of chicago was open to cyclists. the road construction signs made the entire roadway appear to be closed. and i don't ride on sidewalks.
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  #15665  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 2:26 PM
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Not sure really where to post my question, so I'll dump it here.

Has anyone looked at the (now quite dated) central area plan recently? I was perusing it for kicks the other day, and something caught my attention. One of the group's recommendations was to convert the Fort Dearborn post office into a park (I'm presuming they're talking about that hulk at Dearborn and Grand). The more I got to thinking about it, the more I thought that it's a genius idea. I mean, that area is destined to become more dense, and a nice little park would do a great job breaking up the area, and maybe framing future developments. Thoughts?
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  #15666  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 2:34 PM
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^There are a few hurdles. The most prominent is that, as a general legal principle, we don't want USPS to sell land for far less than market value.
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  #15667  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 2:47 PM
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^There are a few hurdles. The most prominent is that, as a general legal principle, we don't want USPS to sell land for far less than market value.
Is it something that's even ever discussed anymore? Is it still on the radar? I mean, it wouldn't necessarily be a large park, but I don't think it has to be. For the record, I hate when people try to draw comparisons with NYC, or try to emulate it, but a park that comes to mind is Bryant park. I only mention it because if you take out the NY Public Library, my sense is that the fort dearborn post office would yield a similar sized park. And Bryant park is actually a really cool park (but obviously sees a ton more pedestrian traffic).

All you would need would be 1 point of interest in the park (some cool avant-garde urban sculpture or whatever), and maybe some kind of coffee stand/food/whatever with decent places to sit and it'd be a great place to take in the city.
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  #15668  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 9:23 PM
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I'm also in favor of this. However, USPS needs an alternate location to serve the neighborhood, and in order to maximize resale value, they were talking about selling it to a developer who would only preserve a fraction of the site for green space.

I think eventually USPS will shift distribution functions to some PMD site along the river that's off-limits to developers, and then open one or two retail counters in small River North buildings. Maybe as part of the deal, USPS gets a 99-year lease on the retail space at the Fort Dearborn site or something.
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  #15669  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 10:32 PM
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USPS needs an alternate location to serve the neighborhood, and in order to maximize resale value, they were talking about selling it to a developer who would only preserve a fraction of the site for green space.
That would suck. I wonder if the city could find some kind of corporate contributions to support a park, like Millennium Park. If only a sliver of green space was left, it'd be kind of pointless.

If no park, then I want a massive, soaring, badass megatall skyscraper. Another generic, sterile 30 story building would be a missed opportunity. But as it stands now, just about anything would be better than the current ungainly USPS building.
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  #15670  
Old Posted May 5, 2012, 11:32 PM
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I think eventually USPS will shift distribution functions to some PMD site along the river that's off-limits to developers, and then open one or two retail counters in small River North buildings.
But all those are far from River North (and Streeterville), the area that it needs to serve, no? Either they can go several blocks north or west, or maybe they can take the bottom floor of some new development alongside one of the multilevel streets, such as when the block south of Nordstrom is eventually redeveloped. It would be cool if USPS took a Cabrini Green parcel so as to eat up land there (also forcing developers to build taller instead of those low-rise structures), but that location is probably too much gasoline spent running delivery vehicles back and forth daily to River North and Streeterville.
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  #15671  
Old Posted May 6, 2012, 3:17 AM
Chicagoguy Chicagoguy is offline
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I have a very random question and feel this might be the best thread to post it in.

Today while driving I passed by Midtown Tennis at Elston/Damen/Fullerton and it got me thinking. I know Chicago used to have a professional ATA/WTA tennis tournament years ago, and it seems to me that Midtown would be a great location to potentially bring a larger tournament back to Chicago (and with it being an indoor facility it could be hosted anytime during the year.) I also couldn't help but notice the massive vacant lot across the street from Midtown and was curious if Midtown has ever thought of expanding further? I could see a newer facility being built in the vacant lot (maybe featuring a main area as well as additional courts.)

I could imagine the demand being there for an arena of that caliber. I would imagine the arena could be rented out to high schools and colleges for tournaments as well as charity tournaments, etc. There are so many cities much smaller than Chicago with large ATP/WTA tournaments so I was curious if a facility like that seems beneficial?
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  #15672  
Old Posted May 6, 2012, 3:50 AM
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That vacant lot will soon be chopped up.

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  #15673  
Old Posted May 6, 2012, 5:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Chicagoguy View Post
I could imagine the demand being there for an arena of that caliber. I would imagine the arena could be rented out to high schools and colleges for tournaments as well as charity tournaments, etc. There are so many cities much smaller than Chicago with large ATP/WTA tournaments so I was curious if a facility like that seems beneficial?
Is Midtown currently capable of hosting matches with at least a couple hundred spectators? I've never been inside and don't know what sort of bleacher capacity there might be. If not, it wouldn't be enough just to build the one large arena; you'd also have to add additional small courts for the early tournament rounds where there are multiple matches simultaneously. It seems like it would be cheaper to achieve that in a location where you can rent an existing large indoor arena, like the UIC Pavilion or the supposedly forthcoming DePaul basketball arena in Lincoln Park (or in the ocean of parking lots near United Center). Midtown's giant parcel on Fullerton next to the Kennedy could fetch a lot of money so maybe you can convince them to sell it and build a new tennis center.
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  #15674  
Old Posted May 6, 2012, 2:02 PM
Chicagoguy Chicagoguy is offline
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Is Midtown currently capable of hosting matches with at least a couple hundred spectators? I've never been inside and don't know what sort of bleacher capacity there might be. If not, it wouldn't be enough just to build the one large arena; you'd also have to add additional small courts for the early tournament rounds where there are multiple matches simultaneously. It seems like it would be cheaper to achieve that in a location where you can rent an existing large indoor arena, like the UIC Pavilion or the supposedly forthcoming DePaul basketball arena in Lincoln Park (or in the ocean of parking lots near United Center). Midtown's giant parcel on Fullerton next to the Kennedy could fetch a lot of money so maybe you can convince them to sell it and build a new tennis center.
I actually haven't been in Midtown in a few years but from what I remember they would have the ability to bring in bleacher seating for a tournament. I looked online and it shows that Midtown Tennis has 18 courts of play, which should be more than enough. They could spread out some of the courts for the tournament to make way for temporary bleacher seating. Obviously it wouldn't be the capacity for a major tournament but it could definitely be on par with other small professional tournaments, specifically some of the indoor tournaments in the pro circuit.

Last edited by Chicagoguy; May 6, 2012 at 10:41 PM.
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  #15675  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 3:34 PM
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Per Alderman Reilly, construction is expected to wrap on the Burberry store in October.
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  #15676  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 8:47 PM
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http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....-area-a-w.html

BY BLAIR KAMIN

May 07, 2012


31st Street Harbor makes waves on south lakefront; $103 million facility gives once-neglected area a welcome lift


Fifteen years ago, parts of Chicago's south lakefront looked like they had been bombed.

In the four-mile stretch between McCormick Place and the Museum of Science and Industry, the fury of Lake Michigan had pounded miles of stone blocks into rubble, creating a sea wall that was both unsightly and unusable. Just to the west was a skinny strip of parkland, with far less green space and far fewer people-pleasing attractions than Lincoln Park to the north.

The relative absence of amenities was no accident...

So what you see today at the just-opened 31st Street Harbor is remarkable — a $103 million facility that is much more than just a marina.

This is not a typical, one-dimensional harbor, its land side surrounded by a fence and the sort of surface asphalt parking lot you'd expect to find at a shopping mall. True, there are 1,000 new boat slips, with connections for water, power and satellite TV, no less. But there is also a new paradigm: Instead of isolating itself from its surroundings, the harbor embraces them.


It does so with a boatload of amenities, from new playgrounds to a mini-park that extends into the lake and offers spectacular views of the downtown skyline.

While the extras cost about $30 million more than a typical marina, the payoff could be immense. Such a facility can only help the fortunes of the redeveloping areas to the west, encouraging the construction of new homes and businesses. And that will inevitably boost Chicago's tax base.

...

While Rio de Janeiro won the games, the harbor still went forward ...

A new pedestrian underpass just east of Lake Shore Drive allows people on the lakefront trail to walk, jog or bike without making a dangerous crossing through a parking lot, as they had to before at 31st Street. A large basin at the south end of the marina will allow Chicago to host what is expected to be the Midwest's largest "in-water" boat show next month. Thousands of boat lovers are likely to attend, something that would have been unimaginable 15 years ago.

...

Goodbye, "benign neglect." Hello, new south lakefront.
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  #15677  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 9:15 PM
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^^^That is great now if the development paradigm of that part of the south lake front would more closely mimic either the north lakefront or area from Kenwood-South Shore then we'd really be in business.....Oakland is a disaster, as is Prairie Shore, :ale Meadows et al. that entire area from the stevenson to about 43rd or even 47th needs east of the expressway to be developed at density more common to Lakeview / Uptown/ Edgewater/ RP or at least Hyde Park level densities

Of coursse it was an absolute ghettoed out sh1th0le I just hope the new infill is not too "suburban"
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  #15678  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 9:34 PM
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It's gonna be tough to recreate the north lakefront's organic mix of highrise, midrise, and rowhouse. With the exception of Lake Meadows, nobody's proposed any highrises for the south lakefront yet.
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  #15679  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 10:07 PM
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^ Infill is already happening, of the CHA replacement housing variety.

In my opinion, I think it is designed pretty well. The problem is, we need private investment.

And as long as you can still buy a 2 flat in Logan Square for $75,000 + a bit of rehab, why would private investors flock to the south side?

On a side note, I keep getting emails about a GORGEOUS graystone just half a block west of Washington Park on the south side (okay, it's not a lakefront hood but it's right next to Hyde Park) that is for sale for $80,000. It is a multiunit building. When you see pictures of this building it almost brings a tear to your eye.

Such gorgeous property sitting there, decaying, for no good reason, and nobody wants to take a chance on it...
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  #15680  
Old Posted May 7, 2012, 10:31 PM
Nowhereman1280 Nowhereman1280 is offline
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^^^ No one want's to pay out the ass to get it fixed up. I just took a look at a 6 unit Greystone in Little Village and it probably needs $400k-$500k in work, but is listed for $80k. No way in hell I'm dumping that kind of money when I can get better deals that need less renovation.

This has been going on for decades and the city turns a blind eye to it because they are too busy sucking the construction union's dicks and enforcing an intentionally over-engineered building code.
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