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Big news for Chicagoland infrastructure: the southern extension of Interstate 355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway) opened yesterday, connecting what used to be the North-South Tollway with Interstate 80 in New Lenox. There are plans to extend it further toward Peotone and to link up with an Illiana Expressway, creating an outer beltway from I-65 in Indiana all the way to Long Grove. (Plans for a Lake County extension seem to have stalled.)
http://www.illinoistollway.com |
Noticed that the ugly Burger King/Taco Fresco on the SW corner of LaSalle/North is closed. Of course, now an eyesore is even worse. Anyone know of any plans for this site? Were they closed for lack of business, or does the owner have some plans? It's a big enough site to support something of a decent size (perhaps 6-8 stories), and has an excellent location.
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I did some sluthing today with some downtown Palatine projects because I had some concerns, and the results aren't that great.
One project, a 47 unit 4 story condo building, has actually stalled out in the middle of construction. They did the foundation work and started building up the half basement parking garage level, then just stopped. That was several months ago now. There's just the first 8 feet built, and no sign of any workers. I called the developer, and they said sales have stalled at 20%. They denied that construction was on hold, but it obviously is. I hope it doesn't crash and burn, becuase we'd be left with an eyesore if they can't get the sales to finish it off. If you look at the link, they've built up as high as the little pink trees. http://www.rfranczak.com/pages/the_h...latine/219.php 2nd is the Focus Development 109 unit project that was supposed to break ground in Aug. No sign of any demo yet, and their sales office also reports sales stalled at 20%. http://www.focusdevelopment.com/prop...d=37&menu_id=1 I just hope these projects have a soft landing and get going again after a bit of delay. |
Burger King/ Taco Fresco they are putting another bank, like Chicago needs another bank branch. I would rather have the burger king. Not for sure what bank branch.
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The site is zoned B3-5, so a developer could put up a mixed use building in the 8-story range as of right, anything above about 3-stories would have park and lake views.....what a missed opportunity if its a 1-story bank with a drive-through :yuck: Let me guess: Bank of America? They seem to be the worst offender of putting up suburban schlock in prime urban corner retail spaces. |
I just got this email today:
Grant Park Advisory Council and Grant Park Conservancy public meeting Monday, November 12, 2007 - 6:30 p.m. Daley Bicentennial Plaza - 337 E. Randolph just east of Columbus Drive. Daley Bicentennial Plaza new park construction and the rebuilding of the East Monroe Street Garage. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions about what you would like to see created in the new park and get input about garage construction. In a 99-year concession sale and lease, Morgan Stanley and Laz Parking ( garage operators) have leased four Grant Park garages for $563 million. This is the first such undertaking of a public parking system in the country. One of the garages, the East Monroe Garage, at Daley Bicentennial Plaza, has to be rebuilt in the very near future. Unfortunately, as can be determined so far, the entire park on top of it has to be removed. This means that the greenspace directly east of Millennium Park, from Randolph to Monroe and from the Cancer Survivor's Garden to Columbus Drive has to be removed to rebuild the garage underneath. Should this be done in phases or all at once? We are still trying to determine if any of the many large, beautiful honey locust trees, at the very east and west ends of the property, can be saved. The positive aspect of rebuilding the underground garage is that it also affords an incredible opportunity to create a whole new, interesting, and world-class park space on the other side of the BP Bridge from Millennium Park. The timing of this opportunity is great in that so many international projects are coming to fruition in and around Grant Park and being financed through public/private partnerships during one of Chicago's greatest renaissances. The $563 million Grant Park garage concession sale and lease was broken down as follows: $122 million will go toward Chicago Park District park improvements in many neighborhoods throughout the city. $35 million will be used to rebuild the Daley Bicentennial Plaza park greenspace when the East Monroe Garage is rebuilt in the near future. This new garage is estimated to cost over $60 million and will be paid for by the lessee. $120 million will be reserved to generate income to replace the income lost from the garages when operated by the Chicago Park District. $278 million will pay off all of the debt associated with all of the public garages. $8 million was/will be used for fees. Please come out and give us your input and ideas about what could be built at Daley Bicentennial Plaza over the garage. Grant Park continues to be Chicago's ever-improving front yard to the world as a downtown, lively outdoor civic center in a botanic garden setting. It is also financing well over $125 million in neighborhood park improvements in many neighborhoods throughout the city and that does not include the millions of dollars in new property tax revenue generated by all of the new residential construction around the park. Thank you very much for your interest and participation. Please contact: Bob O'Neill Phone: 312-829-8015 |
This could be interesting...
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http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...619C946196D6CF
CHICAGO WANTS 3,000,000 Annexation of Everything Within 100 Miles Is Being Agitated. ;-) |
^^^ Man, where'd you find that? I wish we would have annexed all those bastards, then there would be no such thing as suburbs...
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I for one think it would be really cool if we had something like
The end of Chicago Bar and Grill 80000 W. Ivring Park Rd. Chicago, IL Lee County haha. |
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Please warn us next time |
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Counting only Illinois, a 100 mile Chicago would run from Rockford to LaSalle Peru to Kankakee. It would wholy or substantially encompass the following counties: Boone, Bureau, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Winnebago, Will. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/illinois_map.html The 2006 population breakdown is as follows: Cook: 5,303,683 5 collar counties: 3,060,711 Everything else: 1,006,315 Grand total: 9,370,709 |
^^ You could have Indiana's Lake County, too. I have it on good authority that Hoosiers would be glad to be rid of it.
(guy who once lived for a year in Hammond, Ind.) |
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100 miles to the city limits would have engulfed all of Lake, McHenry, Boone and Winnebago Counties including Rockford to the north. To the west all of Dupage, Kane, Dekalb coounties and into the town of Rochelle. To the southwest all of Will, Kendall, Grundy and LaSalle counties into the town of Peru. To the south all of Will, Kankakee, Iroquois, Ford and Livingston counties. The suburbs would be : Bloomington, Champaign, Peoria and Danville.
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UAL/DL merger
Anyone have any details about this possible merger?
The good news is that the name and corporate headquarters will remain United and in Chicago. |
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