CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction

[ardecila]

Also Jewel at Roosevelt, if you want another example of poor land use.

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

No I believe you are right. I think construction officially started on The Admiral in the beginning of January.

I am very excited to see Sono II rise. I love to see density going up outside of "downtown". Its the one thing we are missing the boat on compared to NYC. Our transit might not be as extensive as NY but we need to learn to make the most of it and build UP around it. Only in Chicago would there be a grocery store with a large surface parking lot directly off the main transit line...ie Jewel at Clark/Division.

While not the most inspirational line of argument, Philly has some similarly poor land use around transit stations as well. 48th and 56th off the Market St L, Girard, Hunting Park, & Wyoming off the Broad St Subway...

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Chicagoguy

...
Only in Chicago would there be a grocery store with a large surface parking lot directly off the main transit line...ie Jewel at Clark/Division.

Oh that's not even the worst example because it's not actually that big of a surface lot.

As bad or worse:

• Jewel at Roosevelt, where there are THREE lines, Red Green Orange
• Cermak Red Line where there are paid parking lots not even targeted at park-and-ride commuters.
• Chicago Ave Red Line where a church gets to keep nearly an entire square block as surface parking.
• Berwyn Red Line with a huger parking lot Jewel (and a stip mall, too)
• Thorndale isn't as bad, but still has a surface lot by it, and Dominicks next to it has big parking on Broadway on the other side of the block.
• Loyola keeps quite a lot of surface marking in the blocks that abut their Red Line stop.
• The shopping center next to Howard has tons of surface and garage parking, right next to the intersection of three lines (Red Purple Yellow)
• Lots of parking lots near the Belmont Blue Line stations
• Big surface parking lot next to the Logan Square stop on the Blue Line.
• California Blue isn't much better.
• Division Blue seem better at first, but that SW corner of Ashland and Division is woeful, as is the KMart on the NW corner of Ashland and Milwaukee and that highrise co-op building has a decent-sized surface lot associated with it.
• Even Chicago Ave Blue isn't exactly supportive of the pedestrian experience.
• Chicago Brown is pretty good - except for the ton of surface lots along Huron 1/2 block south of the Superior exit.

And there are other worse examples, too. LIke most of the Orange Line, much of the Green Line, etc.

Chicago really needs to address TOD if it wants to actually make user of its infrastructure. Good TOD could double rail ridership in not much over a decade.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Originally Posted by emathias

[*]Chicago Brown is pretty good - except for the ton of surface lots along Huron 1/2 block south of the Superior exit.[/LIST]

There is a strip mall adjacent to the Diversey station. Hate that thing.

[HomrQT]

The Admiral - Uptown
All my photos








by HomrQT, on Flickr

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by emathias

Oh that's not even the worst example because it's not actually that big of a surface lot.

As bad or worse:[*]Loyola keeps quite a lot of surface marking in the blocks that abut their Red Line stop.

No. All of those lots are slated for redevelopment in Phase two of Loyola Station. They were about ready to get going on that right before the crash happened and then the developer they had lined up pulled out. If anything they should get major credit for leveling the Shoney's or whatever the hell that used to be and building a 6 or 8 story building right next to the EL instead. They've bought and developed the two closest and largest parking lots to the Loyola El stop over the past 10 years.

[the urban politician]

Residents cautiously affirm Gateway project
March 4, 2011

To address concerns about height, developers have reduced the Gateway project’s tower from 330 to 250 feet.

By Jane Lawicki

Area residents attending a recent community forum responded cautiously but favorably to architectural plans for a scaled-back hotel or residential tower and three story building with parking and retail space for the proposed Gateway development at 815-823 W. Madison St.

Addressing concerns about height, he said the developers had reduced the tower at Green and Madison Streets from 330 feet to 250 feet for the 200 residential or 224 extended stay hotel apartments and from five to three stories for the parking and retail space on Halsted Street.

The Gateway site plan calls for a grocery store more than 3,800 square feet in size, and 22,900 square feet of additional retail.
The first floor would offer parking and retail venues of varying sizes, Mariano’s grocery would occupy the second story’s 65,000 square feet, and the third floor would hold 130 parking spaces. An additional 240 parking stalls would be available on the second through fifth floors of the tower. “We’ve come back 40% smaller than before,” Antunovich said. Noting the development offered environmentally sustainable design, a high-end grocer opening in fall 2012,

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

No. All of those lots are slated for redevelopment in Phase two of Loyola Station. They were about ready to get going on that right before the crash happened and then the developer they had lined up pulled out. If anything they should get major credit for leveling the Shoney's or whatever the hell that used to be and building a 6 or 8 story building right next to the EL instead. They've bought and developed the two closest and largest parking lots to the Loyola El stop over the past 10 years.

I know that Loyola is (finally) improving that area, but I'm not going to give them full credit until they actually complete the build-out.

[cmrhm]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Now isn't that refreshing? No fugly-ass parking podium! Thank you Hyde Park for showing River North how it's done correctly.

Thanks for the post. I see there is interesting effects on the elevation. I wonder if there is Any plan available?

[brian_b]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Also Jewel at Roosevelt, if you want another example of poor land use.

Oh come on. These grocery stores can be torn down in less than a week if a new project comes along. In the meantime, they are paying a lot of property taxes and providing a pretty important service to the local community.

[ChiTownCity]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Residents cautiously affirm Gateway project
March 4, 2011

To address concerns about height, developers have reduced the Gateway project’s tower from 330 to 250 feet.

By Jane Lawicki

Did they shrink it again or is this a repost?

[i_am_hydrogen]

Interesting article:

Lawyers and real estate experts talk office space
Chicago Lawyer
by Amanda Robert
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lawyers who walk the floors of older, conventional buildings see odd partner and associate office sizes, interior spaces that seem to hold more paper than people, and once vital, now outdated amenities like libraries and secretarial stations.

As they approach the end of their leases, they must decide if they want to trade in these traditional offices for something more modern, efficient and flexible. Some law firms choose to simply re-sign their leases, but in recent years, more firms answered the call to revolutionize their current offices or to move to other spaces.

Several such large law firms as Jenner & Block, Kirkland & Ellis and Baker & McKenzie led a growing trend in the law firm real estate market as they each became or are soon-to-become anchor tenants in their new, high-rise office buildings.

In 2009, Jenner & Block moved from the IBM Building at 330 N. Wabash Ave. to a new 45-story, 1.1 million-square-foot tower at 353 N. Clark St. Kirkland & Ellis moved from the Aon Center at 200 E. Randolph Drive to a new 60-story, 1.3 million-square-foot tower at 300 N. LaSalle St. Baker & McKenzie plans its own move for 2012 from One Prudential Plaza at 130 E. Randolph St. to the newly expanded 57-story 2.3-million-square-foot Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower at 300 E. Randolph St.

In a recent roundtable discussion, Donald Resnick of Jenner & Block, Jeffrey Sheffield of Kirkland & Ellis and Michael Smith of Baker & McKenzie considered their decisions to move, design elements unique to their new office spaces and lessons learned throughout the process...

http://www.chicagolawyermagazine.com...al-estate.aspx

[pilsenarch]

thanks, it is a good read

[spyguy]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

REIT Rides Prosperity Wave
By DAWN WOTAPKA

These have been good times for rental apartment real-estate investment trusts, with values, rents and occupancies rising and stocks trading near their 52-week highs.

UDR Inc. wants more. The once-sleepy REIT that owned apartments in markets like Arkansas and New Mexico, is hoping to ride this wave of prosperity to complete its metamorphosis into one of the leading landlords in top cities.

In the latest sign of this, UDR just established beachheads in Boston and New York with big deals in those markets. Denver-based UDR plans more purchases in the Big Apple and wants to enter Chicago and Miami.
---

When UDR bought most of Hanover's portfolio last year I believe that also included the site north of Waldorf Astoria where Hanover planned a 50 story apartment tower.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Interesting. I hadn't realized Hanover had closed on its purchase of the site...

[SamInTheLoop]

It is indeed an official construction start this week at SoNo II. Foundation work well underway...

[SamInTheLoop]

Commercial Real Estate industry online newsletter Bisnow did report yesterday that Habitat is moving forward with its next apartment tower, to replace the surface parking lot at 360 W. Hubbard..............we talked about this recently on this or another thread as there is a construction bid of some sort out....

Great news.


Developers are sure responding very quickly to the impressive rebound in apartment market fundamentals last year!

[J_M_Tungsten]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

It is indeed an official construction start this week at SoNo II. Foundation work well underway...

This is fantastic. I love the area over there, and I'm sure the added density and people will spark other projects, maybe even the New City project...

[VivaLFuego]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Commercial Real Estate industry online newsletter Bisnow did report yesterday that Habitat is moving forward with its next apartment tower, to replace the surface parking lot at 360 W. Hubbard..............we talked about this recently on this or another thread as there is a construction bid of some sort out....

Great news.


Developers are sure responding very quickly to the impressive rebound in apartment market fundamentals last year!

Curious to see renderings. I assume this will have a substantial parking component as the garage will presumably be partially shared with East Bank Club. The question is whether we get a standard monstrous podium blob or they use the very large site to their advantage and make something more tasteful and street-friendly.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I nice modern slab or wedge in that location would also help create a screen to start blocking the view of the beige puke towers in River North from the freeway and the west...