NIMBY's being the usual jackasses that they are. Thank God the Alderman is in support of this project...
11/14/2007 10:00:00 PM High-rise too dense Neighbors call for family-oriented development By HAYLEY GRAHAM Editor West Loop neighbors and organizations are fighting to delay the city's approval of an 11-story residential high-rise development at 1260 W. Madison. The proposal, which is supported by 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, is set to go before the Chicago Plan Commission on Nov. 16. At a meeting of the West Loop Community Organization on Nov. 13, neighbors of the project said they had not received a required legal notice informing them that the development was on the Plan Commission's agenda. Many asked Terri Haymaker, deputy commissioner for the city's Department of Planning and Development, to have the project removed from the agenda. Haymaker was not sure if the delay would be possible, and told the residents they could voice their opposition at the meeting if the project was kept on the agenda. Pinkus Group is seeking a zoning change that would allow the development to exceed the height standard for the neighborhood for the proposed building, which is the site of the former Federal Express building. West Loop residents argue the height will add too much density in an area plagued with parking problems, and the small size of the units is not in line with the community's goal of becoming more family oriented. Martha Goldstein, executive director of West Loop Community Organization, said the community would like to see more parks and community elements to attract families, adding that high-rises with small units will make it more difficult. "We won't be able to build a [family-friendly] community that way," Goldstein said. :haha: The 11-story mixed-used development would have 318 residential units and approximately 58,161 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 502 off-street parking spaces. The plan also includes a 4-story development at 1300 W. Madison that would include 33 residential units and approximately 8,657 square feet of ground-floor retail space. One parking space would be deeded with each unit. At Tuesday's WLCO meeting held at the Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria, Burnett said he approved the development after three meetings with the developer and community members that resulted in modifications to the proposal. "I try to be just and fair in all of my decision making," said Burnett, adding that while the size of the development concerns him, the developer took the community's comments into consideration, brought the height down to 115 feet and added units larger than 700 square feet. "The city sees this as an area that can take density." (And how did the community respond to this? Read the exciting, douche-bag filled conclusion below!!) http://www.chicagojournal.com/main.a...48&TM=3762.792 |
""We don't want a repeat of the South Loop with high-rises everywhere," Neal said."
Oh yes, we wouldn't want our neighborhood to be like the hottest neighborhood in the city would we! Heaven forbid people would actually want to live here! Oh, and we also don't want to have our land values double and make a huge profit on the crappy lofts we moved into 3 years ago, because profits are evil and like to eat babies... Also, I once saw a tall building punch a nun... |
^^^Well I do think they have one good point, and that is that at this point in my life, I wouldn't buy anything with less than 3 bedrooms. And so it is a valid point that if you build out an entire neighborhood with 1-2 bedroom units, when a family has 2 kids, they have to leave the neighborhood for the burbs.
They didn't say the size of the building, they said the size of the units. But then of course the NIMBYs favor height limits, which means that if a developer wanted to build a larger building with larger units, he probably couldn't.... |
I don't remember if this was posted here...
_________________ Champions of Sustainability Cover Story - November 2007 New Green Initiatives Help Drive Chicago’s Urban Renaissance http://midwest.construction.com/feat...0711_cover.asp by Don Talend Over the past 10 years, nobody can ignore an environmentally driven infrastructure revitalization movement that has made Chicago a model of sustainable construction nationally and globally. ... |
Quote:
I mean my brother and I shared a bedroom while we grew up |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
I think it's good to have a third common room in an apartment besides the kitchen and main room, if you plan to raise a family with more than 1 kid. |
^I'm a bit conflicted regarding the "we want this neighborhood for families" argument. I am primarily against it, because I think the beauty of the city is living in diversity, which includes families living amongst singles, childless couples, home owners, and home renters. But the reality is that many people want to raise their kids around other kids, at least after they get to be school age, and it's hard to blame them for that. I dont want to lose those families to the suburbs, because it is important to have them here in the city. In the end though, it is obviously ridiculous for the residents of a neighborhood to essentially discriminate against people not like them and seek to preserve "their" neighborhood for a certain type of living quarters and certain types of residents.
|
Quote:
|
^ I don't understand why in people's minds, there are only hip, close-in neighborhoods, and then the suburbs. There are plenty of places in Chicago that would accommodate families with a need for 3+ bedrooms, but most people simply won't even consider these areas. It's a shame. 5 minutes west of West Loop, there are great neighborhoods with homes people could be rehabbing for this purpose.
(To be fair, many of the people who live already in these areas are raising families and are doing just fine. It seems primarily like a yuppie mentality that you only can live in a new, suburban development downtown, or in the suburbs themselves.) |
Quote:
|
Quote:
It seems like more and more they will just make up any jackass argument as long as their precious 10 story height limit isn't surpassed. |
Okay, the burbs comment got taken the wrong way. So strike burbs and substitute single family neighborhood. But is there really that much difference between a bungalow in Mayfair and a single family in Park Ridge? That's all I meant. It's not the loop.
But I stand by what I said. Lots of people want the flexibility of a third bedroom as a guest bedroom/office/media room. And I don't think it's wastefull. I would gladly trade all the uber luxury finishes that I don't need for an extra room that I do need. But if the market isn't demanding them, the developers shouldn't be forced to build them. |
A great commentary. Go NIMBY'S!!!!! (did I really just say that?)
11/14/2007 10:00:00 PM Ashland and Division: An environmental perspective SCOTT A. RAPPE For ten years the East Village Association has battled developers bent on overbuilding in areas where such density would strain city services, create traffic congestion and make the neighborhood less livable. We were not always successful, and the results are all around us. Now, for the first time, the East Village Association has actively called for a site to be developed beyond what its current zoning would allow. This is an unusual position for a community organization, yet, ironically we are still met with opposition by an insensitive and stubborn developer. In this era of growing environmental awareness, dense urban communities like West Town are the most promising models for sustainable living. Just living in renovated buildings in the center of the city puts all of us at the cutting edge of sustainability, in a way that driving a hybrid vehicle to a solar powered house built out of recycled materials in suburbia never could. To paraphrase a common sentiment among architects: The most sustainable building is the one you don't build. Continued occupancy of vintage buildings conserves construction materials and embodied energy. The density of these multi-family buildings preserves land and provides the critical mass of people necessary to create a sense of community. As in East Village , this density, concentrated in an area of ½ mile by ½ mile ( Chicago to Division, Ashland to Damen) provides enough patrons within walking distance to sustain many vibrant businesses. City lots are modest in size, small enough to be maintained with minimal effort, while large enough to provide light and air to the dwelling, a small garden and perhaps even a rain barrel and a compost bin. East Village is a good example of a community that relies on public transit. Its perimeter is served by five major bus lines and the Blue line passes right by its northeast corner (where Walgreens is proposing its new building). It is amazing to see the pedestrian traffic to and from the subway station during morning and evening rush hour. These transit options are easily walkable and concentrate large numbers of people on the community's perimeter, creating a synergy between residents and businesses. (read more at link): http://www.chicagojournal.com/main.a...36&TM=54783.35 |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
PROPOSAL: College Junction at Old Chicago Post Office.
Dorms, Class Rooms, Meeting halls, Practice spaces, Artist lofts.... participating institutions.... UIC, Roosevelt, Columbia, Harold Washington college main points Roosevelt U moves to Post Office...... Michigan Avenue building becomes a hotel. Harold Washington College Wabash campus developed as retail and hotel Congress blvd programmed as an urban campus 'quad' Fed expansion redirected from State St. to Congress south of existing and replacing fed correction center parking lot, bp gas station and parking lot, and amalgamated bank building. Tear Down... Chi Stock Exch over Congress, build New Grand Metra Station to the south to complete the Grand Congress Blvd area of DT. |
^Whats wrong with the amalgamated bank building. Lumping it in with parking lots and gas stations to be replaced? :rolleyes:
|
Quote:
boris is right, ya know... I've lived in a 4 bedroom house in chicago my whole life, but I took metra out to the suburbs every day for high school. I might be a little biased |
All times are GMT. The time now is 11:56 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.