CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 573

Rizzo · #**11441** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 1:36 AM**

^ The plan to reroute and elevate the lakefront trail and "tunnel" through the LSD bridge towers. I wish that project was already under construction.

The plan will improve access to each side of the river, prevent pedestrian and cyclists from crossing traffic, and reduce confusion and injuries resulting from the poor design of the existing route.

ethereal_reality · #**11442** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 3:24 AM**

Rock Records

photo by harryc

Below: A photo of the Chicago Federation of Musicians Building in July of 1942.

found on ebay today....very serendipitous

At what point did it gain a floor?

Ch.G, Ch.G · #**11443** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 4:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by builder

If you want to see the latest revisions, please come to the meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, November 30th at 7 PM at Lincoln Park High School. We need all the support we can get to get through the re-zoning process and get down to the details of the design.

Gah, this is so frustrating.

I wish I lived in the city, let alone the state. All of the people in the neighborhood who oppose higher density are complicit in the problems associated with contemporary American cities, not least among which is the kind of socioeconomic ghettoization I imagine so many of them (ostensibly) oppose. Property rights are not lifestyle rights. If you want those, move to a gated community where services are contracted out and not funded by the very public whose access you seek to restrict. /rant

Best of luck.

Baronvonellis · #**11444** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 4:25 AM**

Hey where did the pedestrian bridge go that was supposed to go to Northerly Island? How are people going to get there if they get rid of all the parking lots? It's a long walk to get there.

denizen467 · #**11445** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 11:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

At what point did it gain a floor?

Cue twilight zone music about a creepy old man still inhabiting the top floor surrounded by cobweb covered 78s and 45s.

ardecila · #**11446** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 11:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

Hey where did the pedestrian bridge go that was supposed to go to Northerly Island? How are people going to get there if they get rid of all the parking lots? It's a long walk to get there.

The problem is the sailboats in Burnham Harbor, which wouldn't fit under a fixed bridge unless the bridge was absurdly high.

Most visitors to the island today are coming from the north - that's where all the major tourist destinations are, and it's where the bus lines come from. Even if there were a bridge further south, who would use it? A handful of South Loopers willing to walk across the Metra tracks, through a parking lot, under LSD, and past more parking lots?

Busy Bee · #**11447** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 5:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

The problem is the sailboats in Burnham Harbor, which wouldn't fit under a fixed bridge unless the bridge was absurdly high.

Most visitors to the island today are coming from the north - that's where all the major tourist destinations are, and it's where the bus lines come from. Even if there were a bridge further south, who would use it? A handful of South Loopers willing to walk across the Metra tracks, through a parking lot, under LSD, and past more parking lots?

A pre-fabricated sunken ped tunnel would be cool. How would the cost compete with a cross water bridge?

pilsenarch · #**11448** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 7:39 PM**

I think a south bridge is critical for Chicagoans enjoying the park. Sure, tourists and people making a special effort to get there will do so from the north, but the rest of us would use it if it was part of a continuous circuit from north to south and vice versa. BTW, the comment about just a few south loopers using the bridge is kinda, dare I say?,....

Cost? yeah, it would be expensive to make it high enough or man a movable bridge, but compare that to the cost of the overall plan...

Busy Bee · #**11449** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 8:16 PM**

I gotta say a prefab monolithic structure sunken tunnel, basically a big round pipe or reinforced rectangle, laid in a partial trench and rising on both ends makes the most sense to me. It eliminates the visual intrusiveness of an above water bridge, eliminates complications and limitations with maritime traffic and would fit in place with the rest of Grant Park and the lakefronts' tradition and practice of pedestrian underpasses and tunnels.

Baronvonellis · #**11450** Posted **Nov 30, 2010, 8:21 PM**

So, then they should have a movable bridge or put tall sail boats somewhere else. Since, they are removing the parking on Northerly Island most of the parking around there is going to be in the garage at Waldron. So it would be great if there was bridge at Waldron. When I went to the earlier planning meeting every design contained a ped bridge. Not everyone is going to take a bus there or is coming from the north. It would be great for the people who live in the south loop so they could use the park.

ardecila · #**11451** Posted **Dec 1, 2010, 2:17 AM**

Studio Gang's circulation diagram does show some sort of crossing at Waldron Drive. It also looks like something weird is going on with Solidarity Drive. Are they decking over the existing parking lot?

An underpass would be cool. They could put the approach ramps/stairs inside lockable pavilions to avoid the security risk.

Overall, I really like the design. The video game-inspired hex grid is something I haven't seen in landscape design before. It's an interesting concept - players of Age of Empires or Civilization (and there are a lot of them) will understand it intuitively.

schwerve · #**11452** Posted **Dec 1, 2010, 2:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

Studio Gang's circulation diagram does show some sort of crossing at Waldron Drive. It also looks like something weird is going on with Solidarity Drive. Are they decking over the existing parking lot?

I was under the impression that part of the St. Charles Airline redevelopment to a linear park was the extension all the way to Northerly Island.

ChicagoismynewBlog · #**11453** Posted **Dec 1, 2010, 10:34 PM**

Can someone please post the photos and information about the proposed development just West of University Commons near Racine and Blue Island? It was about 8-10 floors, white, odd windows.

Much appreciated.

http://chicagoismynewblog.wordpress.com/

wrab · #**11454** Posted **Dec 1, 2010, 11:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

.....The video game-inspired hex grid is something I haven't seen in landscape design before. It's an interesting concept - players of Age of Empires or Civilization (and there are a lot of them) will understand it intuitively

Even the pontoons in the lagoon are hexagons.

The hexagons also form honeycombs, so a natural structural angle as well, like the tortoise-shell structure of S/G's South Pond pavilion.

Via Chicago · #**11455** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 4:25 AM**

Proposed concert venue:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....8191970b-800wi

Id love to see all this come to fruition, but good luck finding the spare change under the sofa.

Chicago Shawn · #**11456** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 7:49 PM**

^Spectacular.

I will be going to that meeting tonight.

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

I went to the Lincoln Park Hospital Meeting, here the basic summary of what went on....

The room was divided between ~40% support/neutral and ~60% opposed. This project is creating a mini civil war between residents with very enthusiastic comments behind the contrasting views. The NIMBY comments, as they have been, where based on partially false information and over exaggerations of traffic concerns, which indeed would have less of an impact than the current hospital.

The opposition showed up with signs declaring "no high-rise and no retail", of course making them selectively blind while ignoring the high-rise that has been there.

The supportive crowd was very supportive of the current plan, including someone who lives directly to south of the parking garage delivering very funny and passionate speech criticizing the opposition for baseless claims.

A former 43rd ward alderman spoke in opposition and felt entitled to take a half hour of everyone's time to present a power point presentation showing 53' truck trailers parked outside of suburban Fresh Market stores in Lake Forest and Wilmette; which will not be the case here.

The opposition crowd became quite unruly when presented with facts about the project site, such as that it is zoned PD 84 for HOSPITAL and medical facility use, not residential RM-5, which the NIMBYs claim. The site is bounded by B districts along Lincoln Avenue providing for retail space. So in a nutshell, it is in context with surrounding uses.

Here are the facts:

-Underground parking for all residential units, 161 units in the renovated tower and another 30-40 units along Grant place in the proposed mid-rise building.

-20,000 square feet of the existing parking garage ground floor will go to the Fresh Market Store, of which only 12,000 square feet is retail floor space, while the 8,000 is for back of house operations. Fresh Markets makes alot of their own food items while essentially be a large neighborhood bakery with other groceries.

-Loading docks are contained within the building structures, and the Fresh Market will not be using long semis for its deliveries, but rather mid-size trucks. Expected deliveries to the stores will be about 1-2 per day.

-The fresh market will have the entrance at the intersection of Webster and Lincoln.

-The existing modernist building along Geneva will be used as Medical Office space and will have the entrance restored with a brand new lobby. The facade will be reworked with larger windows to increase the percentage of fenestration and improve upon the ribbon window aesthetic of the building's design. Medical offices will continue into the tower and will give the second and third floors some activity where one would normally expect a parking podium.

-The existing buildings along Grant Place (south side of the street) will be demolished and replaced with a 5 story mid-rise building. The setback will increase from 3 feet to 14 feet and will include increased green space, as the current setback from the property line is covered in concrete and is an extension of the sidewalk. The replacement of the existing building will REDUCE the height of this part of the block. The existing building is 71-90 feet tall, while the new mid-rise will be no higher than 55 feet.

-There will be NO increase of height anywhere on the project site except for some rooftop mechanical equipment needed for the Fresh Market Store (just a flat slab above the garage now). The parking garage structure will be covered with a green roof upon renovation.

-The remaining spaces in the garage will remain open to the public 24 hours a day.

-------

Alderman Vi Daley has not made a stance either way on the project yet, but the developer has requested a Chicago Plan Commission hearing and they are currently on the agenda for December 16th. Even if Vi Daley does not want this project to proceed at the moment, the applicant is entitled to a public hearing if they want one.

One 43rd ward aldermanic candidate came out against it, while another one is in support. The one in support is Rafael Vargas, and this guy understands what urban living is and agrees the greenest thing to do is to adapt existing buildings for an increase of density within existing city neighborhoods. I call on all 43rd ward forumers to check this guy out and consider voting for him. He had a lot of guts to show up there in support of this project, easily costing him 150+ votes that night from the opposition present in the room. He was actually Booed by the opposition crowd.

sentinel · #**11457** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 8:33 PM**

I think this image is just as incredible as the other rendering, of the new concert venue.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....urrah-.html#tp

intrepidDesign · #**11458** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 8:55 PM**

Man oh man would I love to see this proposal come to pass. Although I wouldnt want funding for the riverwalk to suffer because of it though. Either way, I think it's going to be a huge challenge to find the money for this. You should see some of the asinine comments on Kamin's blog! I can't believe some people would really be happy with an airport instead of this. What is wrong with people? This type of nimbyism is just mindboggling.

Mr Downtown · #**11459** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 9:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

At what point did [175 W. Washington] gain a floor?

1949, architect unknown.

the urban politician · #**11460** Posted **Dec 2, 2010, 9:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

I went to the Lincoln Park Hospital Meeting, here the basic summary of what went on....

^ What incentive does Ald Daley have to pander to that crowd?

Just approve it and leave. Doesn't any politician in Chicago (besides Richard M Daley) have any balls any more?

At least Rahm seems to have some..