CHICAGO | General Developments

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

Anecdotally, I was just in Pewaukee, WI visiting a friend and he was lamenting what an auto-centric, sidewalk-free hell hole he lived in. I talked some about community development and he mentioned that every conversation he's had about changes to development patterns are rebutted with points about parking that are extremely thinly veiled references to race. It's not acceptable to announce publicly at a meeting that you think a project might appeal to a demographic you find distasteful. It's OK to talk about "parking", for example.

You don't have to hide behind much around here... The alderman played into those race fears by stating before public Q&A that he will only allow "people from THIS neighborhood" to live in the building.

[ardecila]

"Previous address" is not a protected class, unless it has a disparate impact racially. Since Logan/Bucktown is pretty integrated at the moment, you could construct a pretty diverse group of tenants by pulling only from "this neighborhood".

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Welcome to our forum. Many (most?) Chicago forumers, myself included, are in favor of developments with limited parking that help transition our city into a more walkable and transit-friendly place - especially when those developments sit around the corner from an L station.

Also, I think most forumers here agree that additional density is a good thing in 99% of cases, even if it is "out of character" with the surrounding neighborhood. Density drives transit ridership, helps support more retailers and services within walking distance, and generally makes neighborhoods more urban. Also in gentrifying neighborhoods, the phenomenon of deconversions (turning a 3-flat into a single family home) tends to reduce population, so new dense developments are needed to prevent overall population loss.

Btw, I know this is a late response, but concerns of deconversion come up a lot in my neighborhood meetings. I've found the West Lakeview neighborhood association generally accepting to larger stuff around the 5 story range. At least the majority vote tends to lean slightly in favor, but there's always the "where's the parking?" question as the neighbors fear new residents claiming all the street spaces. I don't know how to reinforce that there's quite a few people who don't own cars (myself included) as I choose to rent. My landlord can't even rent out our 6-stall high-bay garage. There just isn't the demand for off street parking near the El in some neighborhoods

[marothisu]

New building permit in yesterday to convert the 6 story warehouse at 57 E 21st St (21st between Michigan and Wabash) to 110 units with 44 parking spaces. Right around the corner from the new McCormick Place green line stop.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8542...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Article from DNA Info from October:
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016...nts-yellow-cab

[ithakas]

Originally Posted by marothisu

New building permit in yesterday to convert the 6 story warehouse at 57 E 21st St (21st between Michigan and Wabash) to 110 units with 44 parking spaces. Right around the corner from the new McCormick Place green line stop.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8542...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Excellent – I believe the conversion of the L'Oreal research building next door to rentals is already underway as well, or near it.

Motor Row has so much potential and should be interesting to watch for the next five years. If it can develop into an interesting commercial corridor, the South Loop will have several strong nodes it can build around – Printers Row on the north, Motor Row on the south, and the dense Roosevelt/Wabash-Michigan corridor.

Then all the South Loop needs is to chop up Dearborn Park into small parcels and zone it for parking-lite midrise and it will be close to reaching its potential.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Btw, I know this is a late response, but concerns of deconversion come up a lot in my neighborhood meetings. I've found the West Lakeview neighborhood association generally accepting to larger stuff around the 5 story range. At least the majority vote tends to lean slightly in favor, but there's always the "where's the parking?" question as the neighbors fear new residents claiming all the street spaces. I don't know how to reinforce that there's quite a few people who don't own cars (myself included) as I choose to rent. My landlord can't even rent out our 6-stall high-bay garage. There just isn't the demand for off street parking near the El in some neighborhoods

Everyone wants parking, but nobody wants to pay for it. People will move to the nicest neighborhood they can afford, without factoring in the cost of parking, and then complain when they can't find on-street spaces.

Also, it amazes me that many homeowners have garages but still choose to park on the street. They use the garage as extra storage for knick-knacks, but leave their 3-ton chunk of metal out on public property.

Where I live in Pilsen, I can afford an off-street space, but the closest ones available are at least two blocks away (under the L) and I can usually find street parking that's closer. I use my vehicle daily, so parking close is important to me. The only real downside is the constant barrage of ticketing for street cleanings, snow removal, etc.

[tjp]

Small story, but still interesting (to me): Cole Haan on Michigan Ave. closed this weekend.

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by marothisu

New building permit in yesterday to convert the 6 story warehouse at 57 E 21st St (21st between Michigan and Wabash) to 110 units with 44 parking spaces. Right around the corner from the new McCormick Place green line stop.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8542...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Article from DNA Info from October:
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016...nts-yellow-cab

Niiiice!!! Im not a fan of all the parking, but I love the fact that this will be converted to units.

[BrinChi]

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

Anecdotally, I was just in Pewaukee, WI visiting a friend and he was lamenting what an auto-centric, sidewalk-free hell hole he lived in. I talked some about community development and he mentioned that every conversation he's had about changes to development patterns are rebutted with points about parking that are extremely thinly veiled references to race. It's not acceptable to announce publicly at a meeting that you think a project might appeal to a demographic you find distasteful. It's OK to talk about "parking", for example.

Hilarious. That's where I grew up.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by tjp

Small story, but still interesting (to me): Cole Haan on Michigan Ave. closed this weekend.

That sucks, but I wonder if they'll open up elsewhere. I couldn't believe they weren't getting enough business to completely go away from the market here. Could be what AllSaints did - closed their Michigan Ave shop but recently opened up a smaller shop on Walton near Rush St.

[marothisu]

On Monday, a grassy patch of land got a permit issued for it at 1659 W Washington (Washington & Paulina) for a new 5 story, 62 unit senior housing complex. I'm sure it'll look like a suburban POS, but at least it's something?

Currently:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8832...8i6656!6m1!1e1

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by tjp

Small story, but still interesting (to me): Cole Haan on Michigan Ave. closed this weekend.

I assume with Apple leaving next door the chance of a seeing new high-rise on the block only increases?

Originally Posted by marothisu

On Monday, a grassy patch of land got a permit issued for it at 1659 W Washington (Washington & Paulina) for a new 5 story, 62 unit senior housing complex. I'm sure it'll look like a suburban POS, but at least it's something?

Yeah, it's pretty meh looking. But better than nothing.

http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/11/22...ory-apartments

[the urban politician]

^ That's not too bad for senior housing. Either way we need more housing options than market rate. People who drink fancy cocktails get dull

I'm getting flooded with Section 8 applications for one of my Pilsen properties. The city has a severe shortage of housing for those on public aide. I might move into that as a niche business--buy up cheap properties, fix um up and lease them to Section 8 tenants. You get guaranteed rent from the Government

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ That's not too bad for senior housing. Either way we need more housing options than market rate. People who drink fancy cocktails get dull

I'm getting flooded with Section 8 applications for one of my Pilsen properties. The city has a severe shortage of housing for those on public aide. I might move into that as a niche business--buy up cheap properties, fix um up and lease them to Section 8 tenants. You get guaranteed rent from the Government

Be careful. Trump may end section 8

[Ryanrule]

we need quality 200-300k properties, not section 8.

[UrbanLibertine]

Originally Posted by marothisu

On Monday, a grassy patch of land got a permit issued for it at 1659 W Washington (Washington & Paulina) for a new 5 story, 62 unit senior housing complex. I'm sure it'll look like a suburban POS, but at least it's something?

Currently:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8832...8i6656!6m1!1e1

http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/11/22...ory-apartments

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

Yeah, it's pretty meh looking. But better than nothing.

http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/11/22...ory-apartments

That's actually better than I expected. Senior Housing is usually MEH or worse and this one isn't that special obviously but it's better than 95% of senior housing in the city I've seen (if they actually implement this design).

The piece of land looked like a small park actually, so the losing of land isn't like a concrete lot, but still good to see in that part of the West Loop.

[marothisu]

1) Illume at 111 S Peoria in West Loop was issued building permits yesterday. Again that's 10 stories with 79 units.

http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/6/20/...es-floor-plans

2) Norweta Row (2633-43 N Hermitage) was issued permits for 32 of it's 76 units yesterday. That's just north of Wrightwood.

Currently:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9291...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Here is a listing for a place.
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/26...home/110087802

Curbed:
http://chicago.curbed.com/2016/11/21...o-lincoln-park



3) Fairly big parcel of land at 2634 S State St (27th & State) sold on 11/17 for $20.24M

https://www.google.com/maps/place/26...269407!6m1!1e1

4) Parking lot at 708 W Wayman, which is just cross the street from Carnivale, sold for $4M on 11/10.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8874...8i6656!6m1!1e1


5) Parking lot at 122 S Green (Green & just north of Adams) sold for $4M on 11/10. This is a little south of K2, but I don't think it's the same parcel of land that developer from CA wanted to make a new high rise on


https://www.google.com/maps/place/12...ccdf58!6m1!1e1



There's actually been a bunch of buildings sold in West Loop and downtown area in November. 126 S Jefferson, 901 W Jackson, 542 S Dearborn, 708 W Wayman, 122 S Green, 357 W Erie, 1658 W Carroll, 1640 W Carroll, 1756 W Lake, 2634 S State, 1152 W Fulton Market, 445 W Erie, 641 W Lake, 640 W Randolph, 1188 S Clinton, 207 W Hubbard, 28 N Franklin all sold within the first 2.5 weeks of November.

[ithakas]

Here's an interesting story about Steppenwolf selling the landmark building at North/Halsted along with the adjacent lot for development:

Although Yondorf Hall's landmark status protects it from demolition, a buyer could use the parking lot to significantly increase the amount of commercial space on the site. The complicated deal would involve acquiring air rights from neighboring CTA land along the elevated train tracks, and contributing the CTA's air rights to boost the buildable area in a planned development, according to an Eastdil flier on the property.

Eastil estimates that a 164-unit residential tower with 121 parking spaces could be constructed on the surface parking lot, according to the flier. The entire site is about a half-acre, the flier says.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...dmark-building

Great to see North Avenue might start filling up along the L tracks, between this and the giant Marcello's strip mall.

[ithakas]

Originally Posted by marothisu

3) Fairly big parcel of land at 2634 S State St (27th & State) sold on 11/17 for $20.24M

https://www.google.com/maps/place/26...269407!6m1!1e1

$20 million for a quarter block in Bronzeville?? Can that be right?