CHICAGO | General Developments

[k1052]

There is a lone excavator poking around on the Nobu site today.

I look forward to when it opens between 2029 and never.

[Near North Resident]

Originally Posted by mattshoe

Spotted a soil testing truck today at 440 N Wabash

http://imgur.com/a/CAtzE

Sorry for linking and not embedding, not sure how to post the image without it being gigantic.

it would actually have to be an odd number since its on the east side of the street FYI

[gebs]

Alderman Sophia King (4rd ward) is asking for volunteers who live in her ward to apply to help review RFPs for the Michael Reese site.

Link

They are asking that all applicants submit a statement of interest, resume, and two letters of reference. If you live in the south loop or near south side, this opportunity might be worth your attention.

Materials are due March 10.

[mattshoe]

Originally Posted by rlw777

Got ya covered

Thanks!

They're at it again today

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Mr Roboto

Flaw huh. Flaw for who?

What do developers propose then, as 'experts' in the field?

Do you consider affordable housing an issue at all?

I suppose you think anti-trust laws are stupid too.

Are you kidding, I hate huge corporations. They are as anti-competitive as it gets.

Address affordable housing by dramatically lowering property taxes for those who are providing it, stop all building inspections, stop issuing code violations except for problems that involve structural danger, and allow self-help evictions in Illinois. Make upzoning easier, allow basement and attic apartments.

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by tjp

Okay, but you're choosing to sell housing, which people need in order to live, and should expect some regulation. It's not like you're selling iPhones ...

If you want to compare housing to iPhones, people who complained about the high cost of phones would first demand that each store sell only 30% of the phones they want to, then demand that everyone who buys a phone pay extra to subsidize "affordable" phones for others. Finally, anyone who tried to sell a smaller phone with less options would find their plan rejected and told they can only sell larger luxury phones that all the neighbors approve of.

Now ask yourself if there is any way that plan results in cheaper phones.

[the urban politician]

^ Well put. More analogies are needed, as our bureaucratic policy-wonk-with-no-real-life-experience brethren could use such illustrations to see how these rampant policies raise the cost of housing for everyone

[Chi-Sky21]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Are you kidding, I hate huge corporations. They are as anti-competitive as it gets.

Address affordable housing by dramatically lowering property taxes for those who are providing it, stop all building inspections, stop issuing code violations except for problems that involve structural danger, and allow self-help evictions in Illinois. Make upzoning easier, allow basement and attic apartments.

Stop all building inspections ? So how do you catch the structural dangers? This is like eliminating all regulation on wall street because , you know, they simply would NEVER do anything wrong now would they!? These things are there for a reason, people took advantage of the situation before. Property tax and upzoning ideas are good though.

[Emprise du Lion]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Are you kidding, I hate huge corporations. They are as anti-competitive as it gets.

Address affordable housing by dramatically lowering property taxes for those who are providing it, stop all building inspections, stop issuing code violations except for problems that involve structural danger, and allow self-help evictions in Illinois. Make upzoning easier, allow basement and attic apartments.

You have a point regarding taxes and zoning, but tenants in affordable units should be entitled to units that are up to code just like everyone else is, and those units should be inspected. Additionally, self-help evictions are illegal statewide in something like 47 out of 50 states. That's not changing in Chicago or in Illinois anytime soon.

[the urban politician]

^ Just because it exists doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I agree that we have to figure out some way to allow building inspections without heaping on the abuses, but I disagree with tenants being entitled to being in a unit that is "up to code" because while that works it theory, that's where the abuses begin. Go look up your average Pilsen property on the DOB's website and see how inspector after inspector has gone by and slapped violation after violation for even the most minor things. This is rampant. How does a landlord who is getting dragged to court going to fix these things without raising revenue? He doesn't. He waves bye bye to his long standing tenants who've been paying $500 per month for 2 decades, sells to a rehabber who kicks them all out, rehabs, and leases the units at $1500 per mont instead.

It is the city itself that is often kicking off the gentrification process. I own a property that had plenty of issues in Lincoln Park, and not one inspection. Not one violation. Zilch. But in Pilsen? They are out there like armies. One can't help but wonder if the city is behind this gentrification wave hitting so many neighborhoods.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

...

It is the city itself that is often kicking off the gentrification process. I own a property that had plenty of issues in Lincoln Park, and not one inspection. Not one violation. Zilch. But in Pilsen? They are out there like armies. One can't help but wonder if the city is behind this gentrification wave hitting so many neighborhoods.

Probably are - it solves several problems for the City. More tax revenue without raising the tax rate, for one.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by aaron38

If you want to compare housing to iPhones, people who complained about the high cost of phones would first demand that each store sell only 30% of the phones they want to, then demand that everyone who buys a phone pay extra to subsidize "affordable" phones for others. Finally, anyone who tried to sell a smaller phone with less options would find their plan rejected and told they can only sell larger luxury phones that all the neighbors approve of.

Now ask yourself if there is any way that plan results in cheaper phones.

Also every time the screen on one of the phone cracks or the battery life starts dying, the store must repair or replace the phone or get raked over the coals with fines and fees. Also, if the person buying the phone turns out to be a drug dealer, crackhead, or non-paying deadbeat, the store is not allowed to take the phone back and is also held responsible for all the actions of the person who has the phone. If you call the alderman about the owner of the phone being involved with shootings on the block, the alderman's response is "Gang bangers need phones too!"

Great plan for affordable phones!

Seriously though, I had a gangbanger in a building in Rosa's ward and the neighbors called to plea for help in getting rid of him after yet another shooting where someone finally got hit and the chief of staff told them "Gang bangers need a place to live too". My position is that they do have a place to live, it's called County. I ended up having to pay said gangbanger (who hadn't paid in like 7 months) $2000 to leave and had to personally rent a Uhaul truck to move him since he was a criminal and under house arrest and couldn't move any other way. Is there any sanity in this system? How can anyone hear stories like this and think this makes any sense? This is my day to day reality.

[moorhosj]

Now we are comparing cellphones to shelter. I remember food and shelter being the most important aspects of Maslow's hierarchy, I will have to double check where cellphones fall in the pyramid.

Calls for housing to be more like the cellphone market are also silly. This "free" market boasts two options for operating system (android or ios), requires an additional contract to obtain service (data plan), boasts almost no difference between products and are made to break within 2-years requiring a new purchase. Otherwise, they are totally the same.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by emathias

Probably are - it solves several problems for the City. More tax revenue without raising the tax rate, for one.

It ain't a bad thing, IMO.

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by moorhosj

Now we are comparing cellphones to shelter. I remember food and shelter being the most important aspects of Maslow's hierarchy, I will have to double check where cellphones fall in the pyramid.

Calls for housing to be more like the cellphone market are also silly. This "free" market boasts two options for operating system (android or ios), requires an additional contract to obtain service (data plan), boasts almost no difference between products and are made to break within 2-years requiring a new purchase. Otherwise, they are totally the same.

No one is calling for it to be more like the cell phone market. We are pillorying the "it's not like you are selling iPhones" comment by describing what buying an iPhone would be like if it were treated the same way as Chicago RE.

You can argue all day that they need to regulate the crap out of housing or everything would be terrible, but the fact is they don't regulate it similarly in many places including ones growing far faster than Chicago and these areas don't have significantly worse homelessness or slum problems than Chicago. In fact, many of these areas have fewer such problems and lower rents to boot.

In fact, Chicago would probably on par with other heavily regulated housing markets like NYC or SF in terms of out of control prices if it had similar geographic restrictions and aggregate demand issues. We are lucky that our policies haven't done more damage than they have.

[moorhosj]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

In fact, many of these areas have fewer such problems and lower rents to boot.

Can you provide some examples of the cities you are referring to? Also, might these differences also be explained by the factors you referenced here:

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

geographic restrictions and aggregate demand issues.

[spyguy]

[the urban politician]

^ Um um um hell to the fazoola yes! Zing zing zing

[Mikemak27]

The NOWL organization, NIMBYS of west loop, will freak out about 1201 because it's "too tall, doesn't have enough parking, and doesn't look like the old lofts / warehouse design" that they require.

[Chi-Sky21]

Originally Posted by Mikemak27

The NOWL organization, NIMBYS of west loop, will freak out about 1201 because it's "too tall, doesn't have enough parking, and doesn't look like the old lofts / warehouse design" that they require.

Its on Lake st. They wont say anything. And even if a few do this will get through no problem. The west loop has quite a nice mix of new office space, Randolph area exploding with restaurants and bars, pretty much every lot up to ashland filling in with apt and condos, west of that you have all the new Bulls, Blackhawks and Malcom X, then cross the highway for all the new Rush/Med district buildings.