I have copies of the Aqua floor diagrams for street level and P1. There are four parking levels: P1 through P4 with P4 being the lowest level. Most interesting is a hand note between Aqua and the BCBS building. It simply states, "Hotel". This makes a lot of sense given the tight location and the fact that there will be two incredibly tall buildings (Aqua & BCBS) to each side not to mention quite a bit of structure to the West. It would be difficult to market a condo given the squeezed in nature of the spot.
Per the initial records submitted to Emporis which I would presume are based on permit submissions to the city, the hotel would occupy lot O, which is registered at 650 feet in height.
There has been some discussion regarding the height of buildings along Wacker. Can't say I know anything on the topic and sales has been good about not saying a word, but that seems reasonable in that they probably haven't grounded any numbers. But, if we are to operate on the information initially given to Emporis, then those four buildings along Wacker are:
I 525 ft Wacker & Lake Shore Drive
A 550 ft Wacker
B 290 ft Wacker
C 620 ft Wacker
D 290 ft Wacker
If the number of units for Lakeshore East is indeed capped, then making one taller would no less make another tower shorter. But, in all likelihood, the development company would request a variance on the initial cap for the project and offer a prize such as the expansion of the pedway to accommodate considerably more retail.
I do have definitive plans for the pedway. I am happy to report that Aqua is perhaps the most pivitol connection point in the entire system. At the mid-point of the site there is a tunnel that runs behind the fire station north to the pedway intersecting between the Swissotel and the office building. This connects what has otherwise been a completely separate branch of the pedway. On the West side of the site near the midpoint (the southwest corner of Aqua - the building), there is a connection running from Aqua to the Fairmont Hotel and this is fully connected to the southern branch of the pedway running all the way over to Block 37. Also note that this connection runs around the west and north side of the Aqua building back to the first connection I spoke of between the Swissotel and the office building. In fact, the pedway runs east/west along the north face of the building all the way to the park where a spiral stairwell lets pedestrian traffic directly onto the park.
Then, yet there is one more link, just short of this stairwell, basically along the entire eastern face of the Aqua pedestal the pedway runs from the aforementioned north to south and then through the area marked "hotel" and on to emerge in the planned shopping center where Treasure Island has been a confirmed tenant. Additionally, the pedway continues to connect 340 on the park. There is no information as to whether it will connect to the BCBS pedway that runs below the street out to Grant Park.
Also noted, all residents of Aqua can proceed down their elevators, then 'round to the parking elevators where they may descend to P1, first parking level below the top of the pedestal where a closed off corridor leads directly into the pedway, or one may take a door out of the corridor into the garage.
To see a complete overview of the Chicago pedway, visit this site. It is very nice.
http://www.spiegl.org/pedway/pedway.html
The city has a site too:
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webpor...pandlegend.pdf
Not as nice, but effectively the same.
Lastly as comes to mind, all the retail in Aqua has no access to the pedway. They, at this time, are not connected, but have standard retail entrances on the street. A full street called the Columbus Wacker Thru Drive is being built on the North edge of the pedestal running from upper Columbus east and wrapping around the Swissotel to return to upper East Wacker.
Oh, almost forgot, construction should begin in the first week of Febuary. At least that is the word from the city as to when the permits are to be rendered okay, should there be no problems.
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