It's the double lot kind with 2 duplex downs, 2 simplex units, and a penthouse. Cooler looking than your example though :)

New construction building permit was issued for the foundation for a new 5 story building with 56 units and retail at 4523 N Clark St in Uptown. It's a little over a half mile walk to the Montrose Brown Line stop and a half mile to the Wilson Red Line stop. Total height is 58 feet and there will be 28 parking stalls total (1 for every 2 residential units).

It will basically replace a strip of 1 story retail buildings:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9637...7i16384!8i8192

The zoning was approved a little over a year ago for this. Via https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/01/zon...in-uptown.html
https://chicagoyimby.com/wp-content/...chitecture.jpg

Right. I am sure there are lots of stories about how it all just worked out swimmingly and everyone helps! yay! I wouldn't bet my nest egg on that. I also wouldn't hire a management company. Basically I won't get myself involved ever again in a small HOA or likely any HOA for that matter.

Personally, I've owned two units in two separate small time HOAs in Chicago. In both examples after a year of ownership I was the sole person doing anything at all with 6-8 other owners just saying thanks (if I was lucky to get a thanks). You don't have to have "bad" owners for the whole thing to go to shit. Also, my inlaws own a unit in another separate small HOA and my poor father in law has to shovel the snow alone and he is 65 with various health aliments. For them there is simply no money in the HOA to pay for what is a very expensive service of snow removal.

Most people don't contribute in general, and most people don't know the first thing about real estate maintenance and if you get a renter in the mix good luck. Small time HOAs could be a economics doctorial thesis on the tragedy on the commons.

that right there tells you something about the financial risk of owning a small HOA condo.

are the HOA fees on your unit under contract a hilariously low amount like $100 per month? hopefully more realistic like $400-$500 per month.

Not sure if this is appropriate or too small / boring for this thread, but some recent downtown retail developments:

- Five Below is taking over the Blick space on State Street; apparently it'll be a "flagship" location, whatever that means for a dollar store.
- A block or two north, JD Sports (UK sports chain) is taking over the old Forever 21 location
- In the Gold Coast, Abercrombie & Fitch is opening a new location at State / Elm. They recently closed their location in Water Tower Place. I think the brand has seen a bit of a resurgence recently.

Always glad to see restaurant/retail openings in the city, we need more news like this here.

Oh wow, I had no idea A&F closed their location at Water Tower. I used to work there and at Hollister for a few years from 2010 to 2014. Are Hollister and A&F Kids still open at Water Tower?

I would definitely classify any able-bodied person who's a member of a small-time HOA and doesn't chip in to help out with regular property maintenance stuff as a "bad" person.

Lazy people are the fucking worst.

Thank God my current and previous neighbors (we owned a unit in a 6 flat over in Edgewater before moving to our 3-flat in Lincoln Square) don't fall into that category.

Congrats, that’s awesome. Do you have the penthouse unit?

Yeah the building I showed was a couple blocks from our old house, I walked through the penthouse unit when it was for sale. I hate the brick choice on the exterior, but the inside has nice, transitional finishes.

https://apps.realtor.com/mUAZ/bb568322

We'll be paying closer to $400/mo for our HOA..


Thanks. Penthouse unit wasn't for sale but the unit we're U/C on actually has more indoor space which is ultimately what we want. Ultimately the current prices aren't that much different between the units actually.

Not a bad unit you linked to. I like the kitchen. Does it have a steam shower in any of the bathrooms? I can't tell. Pictures aren't the best quality.

Any updates on this project? Love good infill like this that take up prominent vacant lots/dilapidated buildings, and includes no parking. Also would be great for that big parking in the middle of those 2 buildings two blocks to the right to be developed. They said it would start construction fall 2021.

https://urbanize.city/chicago/post/a...icker-park-lot

1162 N. Milwaukee

I dunno, they put up some new wood pergolas in that lot recently (they look brand new) so I'm guessing the development is still far off, or dead?

that's good.

I'd still poor over those financial documents and the capital reserve study. that's general guidance I'd give anyone as I obviously have no idea about your specific situation.

Chicago Yimby: Topped-Out CA6 Condominium Development In West Loop Reaches 80 Percent In Sales

Nice photo update from Yimby Chicago. I'm really liking the brick façade on this one. Much better than most of the brick façade done these days on new builds. I like the arch too!

https://chicagoyimby.com/wp-content/...69-scaled.jpeg

https://chicagoyimby.com/wp-content/.../DSCF9770.jpeg

another non-profit development on the Lawndale/Ogden corridor.

https://lede-admin.blockclubchicago....le-Renew-2.jpg

Current view
https://www.google.com/maps/place/31...!4d-87.7038748

Interesting, I've been wondering what was going on with that site. Gads Hill Center was supposed to renovate it but I guess those plans fell through.

After Almost 5 Years, Apartments Near Ravenswood Metra With Affordable Housing Could Begin Leasing In Fall
https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/02...asing-in-fall/

https://lede-admin.blockclubchicago....esize=1366,767

God this thing is slow... Glad it's still happening.

Yeah that site is pathetic. It's too bad this isn't a higher density proposal, but anything is better than what's there (or not there) currently.

I closed on my project on Friday BTW. Interesting times for Lawndale, hard to believe there won't be a serious shift in the neighborhoods fortunes with all this development in the pipeline...

Does anyone have a ballpark for how many units are in the pipeline for the downtown area? I know Onni Group's Halsted Point proposal is something like 2,700 units.

According to this report the downtown population is now up to 250k, and it would be interesting to guess what it might look like by the end of this decade.

Thinking about that 'Chicago is about to densify like nothing before' article still...

I've been keeping tabs of downtown's proposed and U/C unit count since reading that article (read here). Short answer: downtown could easily gain more than 100,000 residents. I'll try to post a breakdown later tonight

That would be amazing, thanks! I agree with 100k+ – it'll be exciting to experience Chicago take another step up in energy downtown, especially in some of the traditionally liminal areas.

I have always thought it would be cool if the north/south sides of SF were demolished or at least made very accessible and open to the public. Or at least open up the north side of the stadium so it would view out onto the Field Museum as it originally was when first built.

Perhaps also knock down the upper level on the west side of SF so as to reveal at least the west side colonnades, while getting ride the worst of the UFO appearance, would be nice.

Personally, I'd be delighted if the end result of the Bears moving to Arlington Heights is a downsized and retrofitted Soldier Field for the Fire and concerts and stuff while they get rid of the parking lots to the south in favor of another museum or more parkland. That would be a big win for the city IMO.

Another museum... already tried that with the Lucas Museum. Didn't go to good.

A few people didn't like the principle of another building on the lakefront, but I think most people were turned off by the specific architecture of the Lucas Museum and the idea that a billionaire can just come in and buy a piece of lakefront. Also, that billionaire happened to be the creator of Star Wars and some people were worried it would turn into a tawdry theme park attraction. Other people were just Bears fans who didn't want to lose their tailgating. Really just the perfect storm of opposition.

If the Bears leave, and another museum comes along with better architecture and a nonprofit/government backing I think it is far more likely to succeed. Obama Center moved forward eventually, and the Peggy Notebaert museum was built in Lincoln Park with no controversy at all.

If the city wants to turn Soldier Field back into a concert venue, I could easily see a music museum getting built alongside to honor Chicago's contributions in blues, gospel, folk music. Assuming there was serious funding behind it, that would be a slam dunk even on the lakefront. FOTP will complain but nobody will care.

isnt obama a different legal challenge tho? thought the primary thing with Lucas was the east of LSD issue

There is no magical status to the land east of LSD. Pretty much all the lakefront parkland including Jackson Park is reclaimed land from Lake Michigan that is subject to public trust doctrine. This applies equally to both Lucas and Obama sites. All of it subject to Lakefront Protection Ordinance as well regardless of what side of LSD you're on.

It's hard to argue that a museum is not a public purpose, which is why the Obama lawsuits kept getting tossed. Lucas was slightly different in that it was basically a vanity project for a billionaire, but I think it too would have passed the public trust doctrine test in court so long as Lucas was willing to agree to basic operating rules to ensure that the museum served the public (free student admission, free days, etc).

There IS a magical status to Grant Park due to the Montgomery Ward decisions, there is a legal precedent for a ban on buildings between Randolph and 11th St. But that's been stretched too, the Art Institute always had a carveout, plenty of below-grade structures exist in the park and things like Petrillo Bandshell etc.

It was a factor earlier because Public Dedication Trust (parks) is a weaker protection than Public Trust Doctrine (lakeshore), but the ruling for the Obama Presidential Library has cleared the way for any new museums whether on the lakefront or not.

The main issue with the Lucas Museum and OPC was that there had never been an official ruling in court concerning museums. Now, it’s state law, and the court agreed museums did not violate Public Trust. But somebody had to be the first.

Win-win, Bears games become enjoyable and the city regains some bad ass lakefront real estate.

I'd be happy to see another institution on the museum campus, but there's no dearth of them – anything that activates more of the area and isn't a parking lot is a good thing in my book.

Is Northerly Island's development into a kind of wooded camping area still in progress? It seems like there's been some hiccups there, though I'm not really clear on the state of things... To the extent a hiking or wooded camping area can be fabricated I think it would be a major hit.

I'm not sure how lakefront restaurant spaces are negotiated, but the museum campus could use a couple. One idea would be to cut Solidarity Drive off to car traffic at Linn White Drive and use the western half off the median (between Linn White and Copernicus) to build a long terraced restaurant space that spills out onto the former road facing north. Probably will never happen though! :haha:

I'm a big fan of concessions in parks... we should have a beer garden in every major inland park and dotted up/down the lakefront.

God yes!

I would love for there to be a beer stop along the lakefront every 1/2 mile from Hollywood down to 79th st

^ Ain't that the truth. The random dude selling hot dogs and tacos near Shedd Aquarium just ain't cuttin' it....

Now THAT sounds like a drinking challenge....about 19 miles...biking that distance on 38 beers, better make em coors light, and you are gonna need more porta potties...

In other news, according to Placer.ai, it looks like Chicago has actually done pretty well compared to other major cities in terms of retail performance in light of the pandemic:

As Recovery Continues, Chicago Retail Outperforming Other Major Cities

"...Chicago has fared a bit better during the past few months than cities such as New York City and Los Angeles. Foot traffic in its retail outlets bounced back in the fall, a recovery which has continued into the winter, Placer.ai found.

Chicago retailers avoided these severe disruptions. Stores here were already outperforming their counterparts on the coasts as of last summer. Traffic in July 2021 was up about 2% over the July 2019 level, Placer.ai found. By August, traffic was up 4%. And after suffering a blip in foot traffic across much of the fall shopping season, by December retailers were back to equaling the market’s performance in December 2019, just before the pandemic’s onset."

Found this interesting given my perception was the opposite, especially with closures on Mag Mile. But I guess maybe good news going forward?

Weekend and afternoon retail shopping did not seem much of an issue this past year from what I could see. There were some department stores with weak fundamentals prior to the pandemic that closed, but that’s up to businesses and landlords to deal with.

It’s mostly been restaurants impacted by the pandemic, particularly those that serve office workers. That will take some time to sort out.

Pritzker just announced the mask mandate is ending and the city announced that the vax mandate will be gone by spring. This city should be at full speed by summertime.

I mean, even just a bunch of picnic tables and food trucks would work (though I don't know if food trucks are allowed to serve booze, but surely that could be made into a thing).

A new 5 story building with ground floor retail and 27 apartments is being pitched in Logan Square for Fullerton & Washtenaw. It would replace a 1 story credit union and its parking lot next door. Although this is not too far from the California Blue Line stop, it will still have 27 parking spots.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/02...fdxB5S6rkWEcYQ

Site in question:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ca...!4d-87.6954784

^ Isn’t that it Alderman La Spata’s ward? Good luck getting anything built without a free for all shakedown

I have found his office to be pretty pro-density, if still bowing to the protest-social-media-class

but I still think he is a dupe

I actually voted for the last alderman based on his very pro density tract record but he who was a slimball if there ever was one

now I like in Waguespack's ward and talk about anti-density you don't even hear about projects being proposed here. long live the SFH.

this is a very logical project based on the other projects approved and completed on fullerton over the last few years

There are various lakefront concessions already, as you mention. My sense is that the Park District tries to award these to small businesses as much as possible so it doesn't get taken over by the Lettuce Entertain Yous and Hogsalts of the world. Some of them are actually quite nice - Ropa Cabana in Loyola Park, Waterfront Cafe in Berger Park, and down south, Reggie's at 63rd St Beach. Del Campo's runs medicore-but-not-awful taco stand at 12th St Beach. These places are doing the best they can in substandard, crumbling facilities with not enough space, dodgy utilities, etc.

Other vendors, though, are definitely just coasting. The downtown lakefront especially doesn't have anything quality. The concessions at Museum Campus, Buckingham Fountain, and Michigan/Jackson are just awful. It would be one thing if these were carts, like you see in NYC or DC, but they're mostly permanent buildings and the city chose these vendors to sell the worst hotdogs in the city.

DelCampos is worse than mediocre and that building at 12 st isnt too bad for a taco stand. Just a bad product and from a family run spot. Disappointing.

I may have been enjoying a few beers when I grabbed a greasy steak taco from Del Campo... certainly not the best that Chicago can offer in terms of tacos

This is a small one but important because this lot has been such an eye sore at a busy intersection:

Mixed use with 24 units and 10 parking spots.

Currently:https://www.google.com/maps/place/40...56!4d-87.67927

Rendering:
https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/ima...TQu1uFd2mqL_j4

more from the architect: http://kharchitects.net/new-developm...ve-chicago-il/

yeah, and i hope the parking lot around the corner on irving for the now-gone lincoln restaurant gets redeveloped soon too.

fill in those gaps!

and does anyone know the current status of the proposed redevelopment for the 5/3 parking lot on the SW corner of irving/damen/lincoln?

Am I the only one who gets more joy about infill projects like these than skyscrapers? Don't get me wrong, I love high rises, but seeing strip malls, vacant lots, and nodescript one story buildings get redeveloped warms my heart. Our skyline/downtown is world class, but the real Chicago is in our neighborhoods. There's tons of empty land in our neighborhoods, filling in these vacant spots just makes our hoods more complete.

No, I completely agree and am the same way. This is why for me Fulton Market is really the most exciting thing to happen to Chicago in a very long time as its really 'more city' than just a few tall buildings.

I'd say my interest in new buildings and construction is about 25% height/skyline, 25% building design/innovation, 25% economic impact/growth of the city center, 25% neighborhood/cultural enhancement of the city scape. So I don't get too bent out of shape if building doesn't meet my hopes for height/form as long as the others are sufficiently met..