CHICAGO | General Developments

[lawfin]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

^What do you mean by "approved?" I think it's probably as-of-right in that zoning district.

I think you are almost certainly correct. More than likely some c-x variant though I have not verified

[denizen467]

How apropos that while we are lamenting car-oriented developments near North/Clybourn, on the opposite side of the river a car dealership has begun construction - the new McGrath Acura at n.e. corner Division/Elston. Site prep looks like it is just underway. There is also a render of the building on a construction fence. Still, a welcome improvement for that intersection, especially if done nicely.

[ardecila]

Complies with the Riverwalk Ordinance, although the existing building (to be remodeled) is too close to the river and so the path only exists next to the parking lot. You can see that the south tip of the site is left pretty much empty - when they rebuild the Division bridges they will need to put in tunnels here like on the Halsted bridge.




source

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Complies with the Riverwalk Ordinance, although the existing building (to be remodeled) is too close to the river and so the path only exists next to the parking lot. You can see that the south tip of the site is left pretty much empty - when they rebuild the Division bridges they will need to put in tunnels here like on the Halsted bridge.




source

Can't the city just fill in the missing parts and direct the path over the river where buildings are very close to the water?

[ardecila]

^^ Yes, but that requires funding. In the meantime, who knows what might change? By the time the city gets around to it, even this new Acura dealership might be in need of replacement. Numerous industrial properties along the river have been torn down and redeveloped, and when that happens, the city mandates a setback and some form of public access. But it seems that there's no rush for the non-conforming properties.

I'm hoping that by the end of this decade, we have a functional riverfront path from the lakefront to Wolf Point, and then up to the Evanston border (the South Branch is just too challenging). Right now, the biggest hurdles exist in the swath between Fullerton and Division, where large blocks of non-conforming Old Industry have not yet been redeveloped, or have merely been remodeled and have not triggered the city's setback/path mandate.

If Rahm was able to do this, it would be an awesome building block in his legacy.

[spyguy]

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...UE01/301289972

North Bridge mall owner to buy 500 N. Michigan in retail expansion
By Ryan Ori January 30, 2012

A daring deal in the works would reshape a stretch of North Michigan Avenue by extending the Shops at North Bridge's reach by converting an office tower next door to retail space.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Macerich Co., which owns Nordstrom-anchored North Bridge, has agreed to buy the office building at 500 N. Michigan Ave. from Chicago-based Zeller Realty Group, sources say. Macerich is exploring ways to connect the lower floors of the 24-story office building and provide more prime retail frontage along Michigan Avenue. The redevelopment would bridge a more than 20-foot gap over a lower-level alley between the north side of 500 N. Michigan and the mall at 520 N. Michigan Ave.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...UE01/301289972

North Bridge mall owner to buy 500 N. Michigan in retail expansion
By Ryan Ori January 30, 2012

A daring deal in the works would reshape a stretch of North Michigan Avenue by extending the Shops at North Bridge's reach by converting an office tower next door to retail space.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Macerich Co., which owns Nordstrom-anchored North Bridge, has agreed to buy the office building at 500 N. Michigan Ave. from Chicago-based Zeller Realty Group, sources say. Macerich is exploring ways to connect the lower floors of the 24-story office building and provide more prime retail frontage along Michigan Avenue. The redevelopment would bridge a more than 20-foot gap over a lower-level alley between the north side of 500 N. Michigan and the mall at 520 N. Michigan Ave.

This sounds fun and a creative architectural task.

[TSSTaylor]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Now the bad: new rendering of the Kingsbury & Eastman project

Doesn't have 2 floors or a parking garage like Crain's originally said.

To jump on the bandwagon....this really is ridiculous. I live in the SoNo in the neighborhood. The Weed St Development doesn't bother me nearly as much. But this is so lame. I had always heard that the British School owned that plot of land and was going to build a High School on it, but that clearly must not be the case.

And if it miraculously does get built in the current form they will have to be careful about how they set up the parking, since a lot of parents at the British School pick up their kids and will likely just fill up the parking lot while waiting to pick them up.

[montasauraus]

Progress on the Pilsen Dorm, 18th and Paulina.
It holds quite a presence.


2012-01-15_15-30-06_681 by montasauraus, on Flickr

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Hayward

This sounds fun and a creative architectural task.

Definitely. North Bridge is already a complex web of grade changes and multiple buildings of different eras spread over multiple blocks. Considering the challenges, the original designers did a pretty good job of integrating everything together.

I'm not a big fan of how the grade-level streets have turned into auto sewers lined with exhaust vents and hotel dropoffs, but the limited retail that IS down there has been quite successful.

[J_M_Tungsten]

Originally Posted by montasauraus

Progress on the Pilsen Dorm, 18th and Paulina.
It holds quite a presence.


2012-01-15_15-30-06_681 by montasauraus, on Flickr

Thats a lot taller than I thought it would have been.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by montasauraus

Progress on the Pilsen Dorm, 18th and Paulina.
It holds quite a presence.


2012-01-15_15-30-06_681 by montasauraus, on Flickr

DAMNIT! I mean. THANKS!!!

I had rode my bike down there yesterday in the miserable cold and was proud to share my photo update of this. But you beat me to it! your angle is far better though.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Definitely. North Bridge is already a complex web of grade changes and multiple buildings of different eras spread over multiple blocks. Considering the challenges, the original designers did a pretty good job of integrating everything together.

I'm not a big fan of how the grade-level streets have turned into auto sewers lined with exhaust vents and hotel dropoffs, but the limited retail that IS down there has been quite successful.

I think lower Michigan and lower Wabash are the only areas with service. Grand has retail and restaurants the entire length of the complex. The hotel drop off makes complete sense because it's not on a major street, but Rush which comes to a complete dead end only a block later and the mall above forms a sheltered area for hotel guests and a valet zone.

It's also nice the mall has a linear arrangement of stores. Built more vertically around an atrium it would have failed like Chicago Place. The only reason 900 North and Watertower get passcards is because of their notoriety.

Finally putting the food court on the top floor forces people to go up all four levels and possibly visit shops in between. I go to Northbridge once a week with colleagues. We have a terrible time finding a seat sometimes. The mall is 100% leased I believe except for two food court slots. But they have so many kiosks in the concourse, I doubt those top floor vacancies are that big of a deal.

[ardecila]

^^ North Bridge has also been extremely judicious in choosing the food court tenants. Obviously it's difficult to lure upscale eateries to a 4th-floor location, but the only gross mall food they have is Panda Express. The other eateries are all more upscale and therefore draw people in simply to eat, like Foodlife in Water Tower Place. 900 North has done something similar, although they have less food overall.

If they DID have the usual assortment of Panda Express, Taco Bell, Steak/Potato, Sbarro, etc I doubt they would get the same crowds that they do, especially outside of lunch hours.

[pip]

what is the Pilsen Dorm?

[montasauraus]

Its formal name is La Casa. It is a dorm building for Pilsen-area college students.

There is a good write up here on the non-profit developer's website:
http://www.resurrectionproject.org/news/3162

Sort of an unusual project. I'm not sure how they determined there was a need for this type of building in the neighborhood, but I suppose I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The rendering shown there is outdated, and obviously scaled very inaccurately. It almost seems like it was intentional to downplay how tall it would be relative to its neighbors.

[ardecila]

Current rendering. I prefer the original design, but the structural glass corner on the new version looks pretty cool.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by Hayward

I think lower Michigan and lower Wabash are the only areas with service. Grand has retail and restaurants the entire length of the complex. The hotel drop off makes complete sense because it's not on a major street, but Rush which comes to a complete dead end only a block later and the mall above forms a sheltered area for hotel guests and a valet zone.

It's also nice the mall has a linear arrangement of stores. Built more vertically around an atrium it would have failed like Chicago Place. The only reason 900 North and Watertower get passcards is because of their notoriety. .

Northbridge is one of the few malls I actually like as far as malls go. The layout is smart. The first floor ceilings are taller then usual which makes for nicer displays. The use of wood and natural light makes it more inviting.

What I would like to do is to take a wrecking ball to the Nordstroms building with its blank wall facade and replace it with a respectable building that is worthy of fronting the eventual plaza that should integrate the buildings and space to the south. I hope to see it done in the near future even though the building isn't very old.

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by richb

There is no way you could do finishes like that at prices like that. Unless you are only counting just the finish. Raw space to me is walls and a roof. In the case of the first floor, not even concrete poured yet. All plumbing, all HVAC not just ducts, interior framing walls, drywall, dropped ceilings, painting, wall and floor covering, equipment and furniture. Heck you can have a hard time building a track house for 50 bucks a sq. ft. It would have to be really cheap finishes built by non-union labor.

Well I have the winning bid sitting right here in front of me and the total works out to about $72/SF and that includes extending HVAC (including VAV boxes), sprinklers/life safety system, Electrical, Plumbing, Drop ceiling, Interior Framing and all finishes. It doesn't include Furniture, but then again a construction bid almost never includes furniture since tenants usually bid that out separately. Also I've never seen "equipment" included in a build out cost. Any equipment (excluding IT infrastructure) you are bringing into the space is going to be completely separate from the fit-out costs. They are planning on using above average (but not stunning) finishes including a lot of stone work.

As I said before, we just did another build out a few years ago that was considered ridiculously high end with tons of interior walls, mahogany paneling, marble floors, Parquet floors in the massive executive offices, etc for a hair over $90/SF.

I'm not sure why you are comparing a track house to a Class A Office Building or why you are comparing from the ground up construction to interior fit out, but that has nothing to do with the subject at hand. Fact is I'm actually doing this kind of work and these are the real numbers we are paying. There is really nothing I can do to convince you if you don't believe me.

[Buckman821]

I hadn't heard about this one before. Seems like kind of an odd location (Western & Hutchinson) as it isn't really that close to an el stop and it's an unusually ugly stretch of western surrounded by car lots.

Developer Proposes Turning Laundromat Into Apartments

Monday, January 30, 2012
By Patty Wetli

In its zoning application, Earthwood states: “We are seeking to build 18 units, but of smaller size than a previous plan for 12 at the site. This, of course, is due to the radical change that the real state market has experienced in the last few years. Three-bedroom 2 1/2-bath luxury units are no longer what’s practical to construct for sale or for rent.”

If approved, construction is projected to begin in spring 2012, with completion scheduled for spring 2013.

http://www.centersquarejournal.com/n...nto-apartments