CHICAGO | General Developments

[marothisu]

^ Can you divulge about how many stories/how tall the tower would be? It's good news. Was walking by that lot a few weeks ago and just thinking of how much of a ridiculous waste it was being a parking lot. Hopefully they get started on it pretty soon.

[nomarandlee]

VERY exciting about the Northbridge/Nordstrom annex....

I could care a hoot less about how tall it will be. I'm very interested on if they plan to deck over the streets to make a plaza (as they should) and what the heck they are going to do about the brutal Nordstroms dominating the space. The only real solution I think would be to tear it down and start over again. It potentially could be the best public space in Chicago but Macerich would have to throw gobs of money for both.

[maru2501]

worst surface lot in Chicago bar none

[lu9]

^^ I would say Columbus and N. Water St is pretty close

[k1052]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

VERY exciting about the Northbridge/Nordstrom annex....

I could care a hoot less about how tall it will be. I'm very interested on if they plan to deck over the streets to make a plaza (as they should) and what the heck they are going to do about the brutal Nordstroms dominating the space. The only real solution I think would be to tear it down and start over again. It potentially could be the best public space in Chicago but Macerich would have to throw gobs of money for both.

Nordstrom isn't going anywhere, certainly not after they just sunk a bunch of money into renovating the store.

[emathias]

When do you think we'll get the surface lot attached by the strip mall anchored by Jewel at Clybourn/Division developed into an interior multi-level lot for the stores with residential on the exterior of the lot? Within 10 years? 20? More?

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by emathias

When do you think we'll get the surface lot attached by the strip mall anchored by Jewel at Clybourn/Division developed into an interior multi-level lot for the stores with residential on the exterior of the lot? Within 10 years? 20? More?

Depends on how quickly Cabrini-Green develops. Atrium Village wants to have their redevelopment be completed by 2018/2019, but at the pace they're going it seems unlikely. Rahm's plan to expand downtown up to Division St will certainly spur some new activity on existing vacant lots. CHA is expected to announce in a few months the proposals they received for the land they own (http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en...als--rfp-.html).
It seems like CHA and the city want dense developments by making these sites have unit mimimum counts. Denser and taller development will come to the if a Divison Brown/Purple line stop gets built. However, given it takes about 2 years for the CTA to propose a new 'L' stop and another 2 years to build a new 'L' stop, don't expect the Division stop to come any time soon

So to answer your question, being optimistic about all the development, I would say that strip mall probably won't get developed for about 10 years.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by marothisu

^ Can you divulge about how many stories/how tall the tower would be? It's good news. Was walking by that lot a few weeks ago and just thinking of how much of a ridiculous waste it was being a parking lot. Hopefully they get started on it pretty soon.

It was quite a while ago and I never counted the floors not looked to be a medium sized highrise

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by k1052

Nordstrom isn't going anywhere, certainly not after they just sunk a bunch of money into renovating the store.

Maybe they could/would anchor the new structure. If it isn't eventually replaced then it will stain whatever else goes there.

TUP - Do you remember if the model you saw indicated a decking of the streets or any kind of plaza to speak of?

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by rlw777

Ask and ye shall receive

Hostel Just One Block From Wrigley Field Proposed By Holiday Jones - DNAinfo

SWEET; I love this kind of architectural design....


This city just keeps getting better and better....

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

despite the fact people may choose to ride the CTA for amusement, it is and always will be a critical regional transportation link that serves 1.5 million people a day from all walks of life. i dont see kitchy gondolas serving the same dual role.

Navy Pier is undoubtedly a tourist trap but i also dont consider it "downtown" in the sense that its isolated and easy to ignore.

Millennium park...yes a bit touristy but still offers programming that caters to city residents on a near daily basis. punk shows, classical concerts, movies on summer evenings. all for free.

aside from aesthetics, my main beef with the idea is it offers almost nothing to everyday residents. which isnt surprising since this is all about "boosting tourism". but its the equivalent of a dedicated double decker bus line. if it actually served a true transportation role i might be more receptive, but i dont get the impression it will have any ambition to actually address that role. this feels too much like a downmarket great america "stand in line, get on the ride, get off the ride" kind of thing, and its visually cluttering one of our cities most cherished corridors. im just not a fan of gimmicks in general and this smacks of gimmick. the kind of thing you might do once, and never again.

YEP! You NAILED it! My thoughts exactly.

[J_M_Tungsten]

5/5
Malcolm X demo/ United Center addition

[spyguy]

Whatever happened to Macerich's attempts to expand North Bridge by converting the lower floors of 500 N Michigan? That was proposed ages ago and seemed to make sense, yet I haven't heard anything.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

It seems like CHA and the city want dense developments by making these sites have unit mimimum counts. Denser and taller development will come to the if a Divison Brown/Purple line stop gets built. However, given it takes about 2 years for the CTA to propose a new 'L' stop and another 2 years to build a new 'L' stop, don't expect the Division stop to come any time soon

So to answer your question, being optimistic about all the development, I would say that strip mall probably won't get developed for about 10 years.

The Division stop is nice but not essential. The new Red Line entrance at LaSalle/Division already provides decent transit service to this area.

Also, if the city got serious about the Division stop and lined up reasonably secure funding, the city might allow parking reductions in advance on the theory that it takes 18-24 months to bring units online... Right now CTA's priority is on the North Red Line work and reconstruction of downtown stations (Washington/Blue, Monroe/Red, State/Lake).


The strip mall is owned by US Equities, which doesn't really have much of a track record with ground-up development or mixed-use. I'd love for someone like Federal Realty to come in and build a large TOD... like New City, but not as sucky...

http://www.federalrealty.com/

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by ardecila

The Division stop is nice but not essential. The new Red Line entrance at LaSalle/Division already provides decent transit service to this area.

Idk. The gap between Sedgwick and Chicago is pretty substantial. Not everyone needs to take the red line, either. Plus an L stop always does a lot for businesses and there's a library right there.

Originally Posted by ardecila

The strip mall is owned by US Equities, which doesn't really have much of a track record with ground-up development or mixed-use. I'd love for someone like Federal Realty to come in and build a large TOD... like New City, but not as sucky...

The shopping center at Clybourn and Division was built in the 90s. Would it make financial sense to demo it?

[HowardL]

Originally Posted by ardecila

The Division stop is nice but not essential. The new Red Line entrance at LaSalle/Division already provides decent transit service to this area.

To the immediate area, yes, but an underground station at Clybourn/Division connected to an elevated station at Division/Orleans would provide more connectivity to the system as a whole.

Expensive? Sure. An asset to the connectivity of the system? Absolutely. Gonna happen? No idea.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by HowardL

To the immediate area, yes, but an underground station at Clybourn/Division connected to an elevated station at Division/Orleans would provide more connectivity to the system as a whole.

Expensive? Sure. An asset to the connectivity of the system? Absolutely. Gonna happen? No idea.

I would agree with that. It's pretty doubtful though... if you wanted to create an additional connection point it would be easier to do it at North/Clybourn where the elevated station is the one that's missing. Plus North/Clybourn is already a regional shopping center and gaining residential density as well, so it's already got demand, and there are two major bus transfers there too.

[SolarWind]

May 5, 2016

[SolarWind]

May 5, 2016

[the urban politician]

Can't wait to check out the riverwalk again this summer. I hope that Belgian place with those french fries will be there again. We really enjoyed that little spot