EVANSTON | 708 Church St. (Fountain Square Tower) | 409 FT| 35 FLOORS

[forumly_chgoman]

Hey SD,
Know this is off topic but it does concertn another Evanston highrise..the howard station apt tower...looks to be about 8 stories at this point...I think it is destined for 17 any idea on ultimate height?

[Steely Dan]

it'll stand 17 stories. the height figure is unknown, but i'd guess it'll be roughly in the 160'-170' range.

[Steely Dan]

from today's trib:


Locals resist skyline change
Plans for 49-story tower in downtown Evanston revealed

By Deborah Horan | Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007

More than 100 Evanston residents weighed in on everything from wind to loss of local retail business after a presentation by developers proposing a spire that would reach more than 500 feet to become the tallest building in the Chicago suburbs.


read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,2200826.story

[nergie]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

from today's trib:


Locals resist skyline change
Plans for 49-story tower in downtown Evanston revealed

By Deborah Horan | Tribune staff reporter
August 3, 2007

More than 100 Evanston residents weighed in on everything from wind to loss of local retail business after a presentation by developers proposing a spire that would reach more than 500 feet to become the tallest building in the Chicago suburbs.


read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,2200826.story

And they pansy whiny babies start, why are people so freaking moronic it is annoying. I really wish these people would understand how critical mass and density make a place more vibrant. They should all be forced to live in tiny apartments in Asia and made to like it.

[Pandemonious]

By "spire" do they mean building, or are they sticking a really tall spire on this tower? If thats the case, spires produce almost no shadow so these people are just grabbing at straws.

"If you go about it wrong, you can produce an ongoing cyclone,"

^Maybe a cyclone of rebirth and reinvestment into their center city. OH NO, WATCH OUT, GROWTH!!!! RUN FOR THE HILLS!! (No, seriously.. please run for the hills or somewhere else if you can't handle skyscrapers at THE HEART of a downtown area)

"Some residents complained the building would cast long shadows over the city center, undermine independent retailers and appear out of place in an area where the tallest building is half its height."

^How about the multiple Walmart supercenters and other big box stores (which are far more influential than a few smaller chain stores that may end up in this complex) in the Evanston area, that are far worse at undermining independent retailers? Oh, they must shop there, so its ok.. Also, how is the height of the current tallest even relevant? It was built nearly FORTY YEARS AGO, in a completely different economic and social era really. It is amazing how people unleash their ignorance out of fear of change.

These people seriously must have their heads up their asses. There are plenty of non-urban places for them to live, why do they have to live where their lifestyle clearly doesn't fit in and try to fuck it all up for the rest of us?

[mcfinley]

Dammit. I had so much hope for this building. More so even than most of the projects in downtown Chicago. There will always be another 1000 footer in Chicago, but this would have been a STATEMENT about high rise development.

Who are these people, how do you get 100 people to oppose a building for the stupidest reasons!? I feel like some chicken little went door-to-door telling residents of horrors and damnation this project would bring if it were allowed to go up.



Is there any chance the city will say, "Individuals are smart, people are dumb, let Anderson and Klutznik build anyway."?

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by mcfinley

Who are these people, how do you get 100 people to oppose a building for the stupidest reasons!? I feel like some chicken little went door-to-door telling residents of horrors and damnation this project would bring if it were allowed to go up.

remember, evanston is a city of ~75,000 people, so the opinions of 100 residents are hardly representative of the whole, especially when you realize that very, VERY few people in the history of our human species have ever gone out of their way to publicly endorse a private development, on the other side, these types of public hearings only attract the whiniest of malcontents who pretty much oppose everything on the basis that change of any sort is the tool of the devil.

evanstonnow.com had a poll on their website about this tower, and with over 100 votes, the results where overwhelmingly in favor of a very tall building being built in downtown evanston. the majority of evanston's residents really don't care if this project goes forward or not. then there are small minorities on the fringes who both support and oppose the project. the problem is that the people who would actually like to see the project built are never as passionate as those who would oppose, thus the seemingly one-sided nature of these public hearings.

evanston has some smart people in its leadership positions who know what needs to be done, but they also understand that they have to pay some lip service to the malcontents to give the appearance that the public is involved in the process.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Pandemonious

By "spire" do they mean building, or are they sticking a really tall spire on this tower? If thats the case, spires produce almost no shadow so these people are just grabbing at straws.

no, there's no spire on the building. when the building was first introduced, blair kamin did a write-up on the project and dubbed it "the suburban spire" in reference to the chicago spire. i guess the tribune is now just running with that theme anytime they write an article about this project.

[Dr. Taco]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, some people are soo fucking stupid! argggh!

its such a privilege for evanston for Klutznik to be proposing this tower there. I mean, would they honestly be happy if he decides to up and move the proposal to elgin or something? Why can't they understand how good something like this would be for downtown? NIMBY's suck ass

[BVictor1]

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roe...eder08.article

Tower plan comes up short in Evanston

DEVELOPMENT | For now, investors nix 2nd high rise in downtown's Fountain Square

August 8, 2007
DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com

Plans for high-rise construction on Evanston's Fountain Square block downtown have turned into a case of survival of the tallest, if not the fittest.
Investors in a proposed 37-story building near the southern end of Fountain Square have withdrawn the proposal after heavy criticism. The tower would have gone up next to a 49-story building that's also in the talking stage......

http://www.suntimes.com/business/roe...eder08.article

[Steely Dan]

articles from evanstonnow.com:



Design group backs tower plan
Submitted by Bill Smith on Thu, 08/09/2007 - 11:56am.

The plan for a 49-story tower on the Fountain Square block drew cheers from local design professionals but jeers from some other residents at Wednesday's Evanston Plan Commission hearing.

read more: http://www.evanstonnow.com/node/2693





Tower developer acquires Hahn building
Submitted by Bill Smith on Wed, 08/08/2007 - 8:10pm.

Developers of the proposed 49-story tower building on the Fountain Square block announced at this evening's Evanston Plan Commission meeting that they have reached agreement to acquire the neighboring historic landmark Hahn Building.

read more: http://www.evanstonnow.com/node/2689

[forumly_chgoman]

This is good news......the Evanston resident Fcuktards of course are against it

[Dr. Taco]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

articles from evanstonnow.com:

Design group backs tower plan
Submitted by Bill Smith on Thu, 08/09/2007 - 11:56am.

"Architect Stephen Yas... [believes] the project will be a 'profoundly welcome landmark for our downtown urban core' and that the design 'is likely to be recognized far beyond our city's borders.'

But Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St., an artist, said that while the building is beautiful, it would only be appropriate in Chicago, 'not in my back yard.'

He said [building here] would be 'a monster' and that population limits should be set for downtown and all of Evanston."


^ I can't believe Mr. Artist Barker actually said those famous words (nimby). The idea of a population limit is the most selfish thing I can think of. As long as you get to live there, eh, Paul? Asshole

[Pandemonious]

Wow, it almost isn't even fun to try to bash that guy, as we don't even have to.. hell, he just gave that one to us, LOL.

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St.

design 'is likely to be recognized far beyond our city's borders.'

Originally Posted by Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St.

it would only be appropriate in Chicago

Originally Posted by Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St.

'not in my back yard.'

Originally Posted by Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St.

monster

Originally Posted by Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St.

population limits should be set for downtown and all of Evanston.

[Segun]

Originally Posted by jstush04

"Architect Stephen Yas... [believes] the project will be a 'profoundly welcome landmark for our downtown urban core' and that the design 'is likely to be recognized far beyond our city's borders.'

But Paul Barker of 815 Oakton St., an artist, said that while the building is beautiful, it would only be appropriate in Chicago, 'not in my back yard.

815 Oakton is roughly two miles from the site. What a backyard.

[Marcu]

Originally Posted by Segun

815 Oakton is roughly two miles from the site. What a backyard.

...and about 2 blocks north of Chicago. So his backyard is actually Chicago where he wants this building built instead of downtown Evanston. What an idiot.

[Alliance]

Maybe he just want the building closer to him...and not in his backyard of Evanston?

[Steely Dan]

there's a rather amusing artcile published today by evanstonnow.com that speaks about the chronic myopia that infests the evanston citizenry when it comes to planning issues. it's not specifically about the fountain square tower, but it speaks to the overall downtown area.


Downtown goals don't match
Submitted by Bill Smith on Thu, 08/16/2007 - 9:35am.

Downtown Plan Committee members this week concluded that Evanstonians asked for the impossible when they demanded both increased retail activity and less traffic congestion during last month's downtown charrette planning process.

read more: http://www.evanstonnow.com/node/2717



i guess evanston's new city motto should be changed to: "But why can't i have my cake and eat it too?"

[CenIL_LA]

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