CHICAGO | General Developments

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Oh come now, it's not that bad. The surface parking shown in the latest designs is really just on the additional parcels they are trying to aquire. If anything it looks like a placeholder for future expansions of this campus.

No, the article clearly states that their retail consultants told them to switch from an outdoor stacked format (like Old Orchard Mall) to a strip mall format. The surface parking is essential for the retail component in this version of the plan. The northern/more dense-looking part of the site is the hospital.

Sucks really, this was an exciting proposal. Sadly the options for accessing this area on transit are pretty mediocre, and I don't think this development will support the fashion retail of the stacked developments like Roosevelt Collection, Atlantic Station, etc.

[marothisu]

Walter Payton Prep addition/annex received its building permit the other day.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Walter Payton Prep addition/annex received its building permit the other day.

That was quick! Thanks for continuing to dive through the permit data as you do, I really appreciate your many updates.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by XIII

Looks like the Logan Square "twin towers" are going to get hacked up.

From Moreno's Chief of Staff:

Wheeler Kearns does do good stuff, I'm sure the revised design will be pretty good; I just hope its equally ambitious.

I am getting sick of this crap though, this is standard TOD development typology in other global metropolitan areas. There was even an approved concept plan for this stretch of Milwaukee a few years back that specified the encouragement of this type of development.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Wheeler Kearns does do go stuff, I'm sure the revised design will be pretty good; I just hope its equally ambitious.

I am getting sick of this crap though, this is standard TOD development typology in other global metropolitan areas. There was even an approved concept plan for this stretch of Milwaukee a few years back that specified the encouragement of this type of development.

im all for more TOD, but the transit has to follow. the blue line is already at capacity during rush periods. how much development can this corridor realistically sustain?

[bcp]

^ the answer is rarely 'less development / less people' when a train line is busy..

[Chicago Shawn]

^CTA can easily run more trains on the Blue Line as it does not interchange with any other other rail line. In fact CTA is already adding additional rush hour runs this month due to increasing ridership and additional farebox revenues.

CTA should look into using articulated trains on the Blue Line as it does not have any of the hard corners of the other lines in the system. That would easily add capacity without even adding to the schedule. Of course if the Humbolt Park Branch still existed, every-other train would have ample room for passengers boarding at damen Damen and points south...

I'm with you on the transit issue, but lets keep in mind that Logan Square is less densely populated now than in the past. Just about all pre-war neighborhoods (except for the Central Area) had higher populations in the mid 20th century than today. Unfortunately, with our very low levels of infrastructure funding and competitive nature of the allocation of such money these days, showing excessive need betters one's chances of getting capitol funds for upgrades. I wish it wasn't the case, but that's life in the US today.

[bcp]

well said..and yeah, it has to suck before it can get funded to be better

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

im all for more TOD, but the transit has to follow. the blue line is already at capacity during rush periods. how much development can this corridor realistically sustain?

Drop the spacing to 2 minutes during AM peak, and place the new higher capacity cars into the system.

The CTA seems to be moving slowly in this direction. And realistically, 1000du and the accompanying 2000~ residents is a drop in the bucket.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

im all for more TOD, but the transit has to follow. the blue line is already at capacity during rush periods. how much development can this corridor realistically sustain?

The Blue Line is far from being at capacity. Looks like peak frequency is about 20 trains per hour (inbound, O'Hare Branch, 8:00am hour).

The Blue Line doesn't cross any other line and doesn't branch, so it just relies on station dwell times and the signal system as the key limitatiosn. Blue Line signals were recently redone to accommodate 90-second headways, so in theory you could double the number of trains running on the Blue Line without any kind of capital investment other than the extra railcars.

Point being, CTA can easily add service to the O'Hare Branch if transit-oriented development adds thousands of new riders.

[denizen467]

^ Wrong thread, but weren't they adding turnback crossovers around Jefferson Park and the Medical Center to effect a targeted boost in capacity? Then the short headways would be more of a no-brainer.

[ardecila]

The Jeff Park and Halsted holding tracks have existed for decades to allow more service in the central part of the line during rush hours. When CTA gets around to rehabbing the Forest Park/Congress branch, they will likely move the Halsted holding track west to IMD or Western.

Point being, there's plenty of unused Blue Line capacity in neighborhoods that are seeing growth and development. Even up-and-coming West Side station areas like Racine, IMD, and Western have plenty of room to grow since the Forest Park branch ridership is so anemic.

[harryc]

Dearborn


Dearborn/Clark




Clark/LaSalle

[harryc]

[ChiTownWonder]

^

What are they doing up there?

[george]

10/19

333 N Michigan,^ Sprucing up the building's 25th and 26th floors, once home to the Tavern Dining Club





London Guarantee Building 450 room boutique hotel conversion

[harryc]

Nice to see these old churches finding a new life, with a new congregation. I got the impression that the rehab is due to the rising affluence of the local Hispanic community.











St John's - built by Lithuanians and Germans, now most masses are in Spanish






Dug out the basement to make more room for community activities.

[Via Chicago]

looks like the storm seriously damaged the lakefront path


http://assets.dnainfo.com/generated/...extralarge.jpg

guess i wont be biking that way into work tomorrow..

[Ryanrule]

it would be cool if city officials didnt insist on using their mob cousins for construction.
look how shitty that was put together. whoever did it should be forced to repair it for free, and pay 1% of the total original construction cost for each day it is broken.

[Mr Downtown]

^What, specifically, do you believe was constructed improperly or wrongly specified?