CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 628

lawfin · #**12541** Posted **Apr 14, 2011, 9:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

It's a horrid building, but at least that section of Belmont will be consistently horrid when it's done.

Well while the new building isn't ideal...I'd prefer to see it be in the 5 stroy range like the building acrossthe street and down the block; this thing is replacing a pretty ugly and pedestrian unfriendly primarily single story warehouse if I'm not mistaken.

When I saw this I thought of the hot dog stand down the street....Murphys I think

lawfin · #**12542** Posted **Apr 14, 2011, 9:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

^^^ It certainly isn't as bad as the monstrosity across the street which is essentially a gated community with 10'+ walls along the street that have garage vents pumping fumes onto anyone who dares pass by on foot.

Gated communities simply should not be allowed anywhere in the city. Period! When I think of gated communities I think of Phoenix Arizona and the siege mentality and of this article back in 2008 :

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle4175022.ece

There are hardly more starkly different visions of cities going forward than Chicago vs Phoenix; I know which I prefer.

lawfin · #**12543** Posted **Apr 14, 2011, 11:43 PM**

CHA: Most high-rise families relocated within city
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,2302931.story

A report by the Chicago Housing Authority released today shows that most families from the demolished high-rise developments have been relocated within the city, with only a handful in the suburbs.

Under the CHA’s Plan for Transformation, an ambitious project to rehabilitate or rebuild CHA housing that began in 1999, only 56 percent — or 9,388 — of the nearly 17,000 families that received CHA subsidies when the project began remain in the system.

---------------------------------------------

Anyone have link to CHA report I'd be curious to read it.

Never mind:
http://www.thecha.org/filebin/pdf/ma...t_FINAL_LR.pdf

lawfin · #**12544** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 12:29 AM**

Chicago Census Recount: Lawmakers Want New Tally As City Suffered Stark Population Losses

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_849412.html

With the 2010 Census showing Chicago suffering steep losses in population, some city leaders are moving to seek a recount, a move that could have ramifications for the city and for national politics as well.

The census showed that Chicago lost around 200,000 people in the years between 2000 and 2010, which will mean a significant drop in federal funding for the city.

"It translates into hundreds of millions of dollars over a ten-year period that will affect the city of Chicago," 2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti said, according to WBEZ. "It will impact on everything we do - from roads, new construction. So if we can find the numbers, we ought to have a recount."

Forty-four other alderman signed on to a resolution urging the Census Bureau to re-figure the city's numbers. The city would have to pay for such a count, but even a small increase in population would make up for the cost in grant monies.

And Fioretti and others have reason to believe that the Census figures might be low.

The American Community Survey for 2009, an annual project that tracks population trends in years between the decennial census, pegged the population loss at only around 70,000 since the year 2000, although that is more of an estimate than a hard count.

denizen467 · #**12545** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 10:20 AM**

Any photogs with some free time today, Friday, take note of this rare event:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7600828.story

...

A caravan of about 125 concrete-mixing trucks is scheduled this morning to pour the first of seven intersections being rebuilt in the Wacker Drive reconstruction project.

Work will begin about 8 a.m., weather permitting, at Wacker and Randolph Street and take about eight hours, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. ...

denizen467 · #**12546** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 10:25 AM**

Oh yeah, and then there's this too - I think that demolition has already begun on some of the Lincoln Park factory buildings of the A Finkl steel plant.

It should/will be a unique opportunity for some gritty, sexy photographs.

Some related recent background info:
http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.co...-to-south-side

State giving steelmaker $10.3-million package for move to South Side

... After considering a move to Canada, Finkl is moving to the former Verson Steel site from its longtime headquarters in Lincoln Park, allowing the city to retain more than 300 factory jobs.

J_M_Tungsten · #**12547** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 12:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by denizen467

Any photogs with some free time today, Friday, take note of this rare event:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7600828.story

...

A caravan of about 125 concrete-mixing trucks is scheduled this morning to pour the first of seven intersections being rebuilt in the Wacker Drive reconstruction project.

Work will begin about 8 a.m., weather permitting, at Wacker and Randolph Street and take about eight hours, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. ...

I posted this in transit yesterday, but probably more visible on this thread, thanks.

Beta_Magellan · #**12548** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 4:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawfin

Chicago Census Recount: Lawmakers Want New Tally As City Suffered Stark Population Losses

I’ve heard New York City’s weighing a recount as well…I suspect low response rates were responsible for a lot of the undercounting, especially from undocumented residents.

wrab · #**12549** Posted **Apr 15, 2011, 8:04 PM**

4/14 Grossinger Cadillac

spyguy · #**12550** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 4:21 AM**

http://www.suntimes.com/business/485...ital-site.html

Four bidders vie for Children’s Memorial Hospital site
By David Roeder

Children’s Memorial Hospital, which is selling its Lincoln Park property, said Friday it has narrowed to four its list of developers wanting to buy it.

....Details of the competing plans were not released. Children’s said it hopes to select a winner early in the summer.

Contenders making the cutoff are: David “Buzz” Ruttenberg and Greg Merdinger of Belgravia Group Ltd., with architectural firm GREC; Hines Interests LP and Magellan Development Group LLC, with architectural firm HOK; McCaffery Interests with architectural firm Antunovich Associates; and Related Midwest with architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP.
---

The only team that sounds even remotely interesting is Related/SOM. GREC might also be okay, HOK - eh, Antunovich - please no.

ardecila · #**12551** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 4:54 AM**

Yeah, SOM's the only one that might do something innovative.

GREC would probably pitch a rehashed version of Centro 18, but more upscale. High-end modernist townhouses with 1 or 2 midrises (student housing?) connected to a retail base.

Antunovich/McCaffery are probably trying to build another Market Common Clarendon - decently sized midrise with an circular drive lined with shops, and the remainder of the site with single-family housing. Too bad they couldn't have brought BIG in... I know McCaffery was in talks with BIG to design one or more of the initial residential buildings at South Works.

A team of Hines, Magellan, and HOK is the wildcard. Obviously their plan won't be spectacular, but it has the potential to be decent. There's really no way to predict what their plan might be.

The elephant in the room is Lincoln Park Hospital... the new alderman is dead-set on killing that development. If she succeeds, then the plans for Childrens' will probably be very underwhelming, low density developments that make money by targeting a small number of super-wealthy instead of a larger number of well-to-do.

denizen467 · #**12552** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 10:12 AM**

^ Because it is such a large site, I think the determinative factor will be the ambition (and resources etc.) of the developer, and the political and sales success in getting the project realized, moreso than who is designing it. It would be nice to see something taking advantage of the unusually large site, rather than chopping the project up into a couple mid-rises and a ton of rowhouses.

Is there a site plan anywhere showing which properties are in contention for redevelopment? Is the giant parking garage owned by Children's or by somebody else?

denizen467 · #**12553** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 10:14 AM**

^^^ Wrab, that was a really nice photo there.

----------

The Diversey/Clark (technically, Diversey/Orchard) Trader Joe's is almost finished with build-out. They must be really, really close to opening.

the urban politician · #**12554** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 3:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by denizen467

^ Because it is such a large site, I think the determinative factor will be the ambition (and resources etc.) of the developer, and the political and sales success in getting the project realized, moreso than who is designing it. It would be nice to see something taking advantage of the unusually large site, rather than chopping the project up into a couple mid-rises and a ton of rowhouses.

^ After looking at the utter nonsense Sandz development has had to deal with, I have a much more pessimistic outlook.

Reality is, Lincoln Park is full of elitist midwesterners who don't appreciate deviations from their concept of the "norm"--even worse than Manhattanites, if you ask me. I advise developers to hastily build that neighborhood out with 2-3 story fake-historic brick townhomes/sfh and never come back--let the millionaires have their little enclave so that the rest of the city can move on. All of the pent up creative design energy out there cannot be realized in this neighborhood. It's time to start investing elsewhere.

wrab · #**12555** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 5:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ After looking at the utter nonsense Sandz development has had to deal with, I have a much more pessimistic outlook.

Reality is, Lincoln Park is full of elitist midwesterners who don't appreciate deviations from their concept of the "norm"--even worse than Manhattanites, if you ask me. I advise developers to hastily build that neighborhood out with 2-3 story fake-historic brick townhomes/sfh and never come back--let the millionaires have their little enclave so that the rest of the city can move on. All of the pent up creative design energy out there cannot be realized in this neighborhood. It's time to start investing elsewhere.

Nah - Lincoln Park is full of ex-suburbanites. "Elitist Midwesterner" is an oxymoron.

spyguy · #**12556** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 8:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

The elephant in the room is Lincoln Park Hospital... the new alderman is dead-set on killing that development. If she succeeds, then the plans for Childrens' will probably be very underwhelming, low density developments that make money by targeting a small number of super-wealthy instead of a larger number of well-to-do.

She keeps saying that she wants the Children's Memorial redevelopment project to ultimately win a national urban planning award. What that means in terms of density, height, or design I don't know. But you probably won't achieve that goal by building mostly high-end townhomes.

ardecila · #**12557** Posted **Apr 16, 2011, 11:16 PM**

If I hah my druthers, I'd gut the center of the block, preserving only the Georgian brick mid-rises along Orchard and the power plant along Lincoln. The midrises would be converted to duplex units and the power plant to a destination restaurant.

Then I'd restore Burling between Fullerton and Lincoln as a narrow pedestrian mews through the block, lined by fully attached townhouses (no gangways). Each would have a different architect, the aim being to create a modern-day Prairie Avenue.

In the center of the block formed between Burling and Orchard, I'd build a new parking garage (the brick mid-rises and the townhomes would completely conceal the garage from the street).

On the each of the two acute corners along Lincoln would be a flatiron tower in the 15-20 story range. The one at Orchard/Lincoln would be luxury residential, with access to the garage behind. The one at Fullerton/Lincoln would be a mix of professional offices and student housing. Both towers would have retail at the base - the mixed-use tower would have less due to its two separate lobbies.

Outside of the main Childrens' Block, the White Elephant store would be preserved with a landmark designation and the garage demolished entirely, to be replaced with 3 large mixed-income buildings. The building at the NW corner of Orchard/Fullerton would have the same mixed-income structure.

k1052 · #**12558** Posted **Apr 17, 2011, 12:30 AM**

^

No way, that's too much retail. There could possibly be a truck somewhere within a four block radius actually DELIVERING something. It would totally destroy the character of the area.

J_M_Tungsten · #**12559** Posted **Apr 17, 2011, 12:33 AM**

^^^ yes please. As long as the garage goes, it's a success to me.

the urban politician · #**12560** Posted **Apr 17, 2011, 1:52 AM**

Stupid Google Maps isn't allowing me to post a link of the location, so here goes:

Just east of the Lincoln/Belmont/Ashland intersection, just along the north side of Belmont, where there is a large parking lot west of a church, there appears to be a rendering posted of a large senior housing development.

Does anybody know anything about this?