Okay, I see what you're saying. I took a closer look at the Ogden ramp and I can see how that grade is manageable in its current form. The problem I see is that by unless some miracle Metra electrifies it would be much more difficult for diesel propulsion to climb that grade starting at Halsted right out of Union Station. I suspect every railway engineer would concur such a grade change without sufficient momentum building distance is not ideal without electric propulsion.

Even for diesels a 1.5% grade is easily achievable. It's not great for heavy freights, but fine for passenger trains, even diesel-hauled ones. This segment sees extremely little freight traffic, and now that Sterling Bay has bought the ADM mill and siding by Ogden, what little freight traffic there is will soon evaporate.

If you did want to do a standard 1% grade, you'd have to depress Morgan by about 6' and Carpenter by about 3'. This would probably require a lot of reworking to sewers and other underground infrastructure (often surprisingly shallow), with serious impacts to West Loop traffic. Not to mention whatever adjustments (ramps, lifts, stairs, etc) are needed to the buildings around those grade crossings, both existing and planned/UC.

Lakeview gets what is deserves on this property. Restaurants and stores are closing like crazy on Broadway, and the solution is.....this new building? The previous design was way better. We need more people living on Broadway who don't have cars. The NIMBYs in my neighborhood do not want anything developed here, so, I guess, this is a victory in a way.

Interesting, I haven't been there in a while. Lake View likely has more people than ever now too, at least according to census estimates. Very strange.

Stores and restaurants opening and closing on Broadway in Lakeview come in waves. Of course, the rise in online retail and gig based food delivery may limit that.

Buy from brick and mortar.

I agree, although I have my limits if the online stuff is markedly cheaper. Usually I'll pay up to about a 20% differential, depending on what the item is and what the total savings would be.

When I appreciate having a specific store near me, I try to intentionally shop at it to help keep it around. By myself I obviously can't keep them open, but hopefully I at least increase the chances of survival slightly. Although there is this is one market with a decent wine and spirits selection near me called Galleria. It's on Orleans just south of Chicago Ave. I like it because it has a quirky selection and some grocery items not common in other area convenience stores and I like the family that runs it, but more than once I've found their prices to be up to 100% more than a place like Binny's, and even 20% more than local liquor stores, which are already inflated. So shopkeepers have to play their part, too. They can't get too greedy or even people like me who are willing to pay more to have local options, will decide that it's worth rolling the dice that maybe a new retailer will figure out how to have good selection and high but not such high prices. I've considered actually trying to negotiate prices with them if there's no one else in line, in order to keep shopping there, as a not-so-subtle way to try and convince them that their prices really are too high and I'm not just being unreasonable. But I stopped shopping there altogether when I was unemployed and going back now and seeing that their prices are even higher now than they were, I haven't really resumed shopping there.

Regarding the Optima Lakeview project, I'm disappointed in the reduction in density but 7 stories is still decent - much of Paris is covered in 7-story buildings - but I actually prefer the brick design. It's not faux-historic brick, it's done in a contemporary way, and it's also not even close to 100% coverage so I think it still feels relatively airy compared to a lot of older brick buildings.

Yeah, I was shocked how high the water main was in parts of River North when I saw it being replaced as part of the recent efforts to replace much of the original system.

I don't think the developer of "The Blanc" even owns the land anymore, so that's definitely not happening. Before the notice about the dispensary appeared, there were announcements of an impending restaurant opening, so I don't know what will ultimately get built. I do hope that eventually that lot and the one with Al's on it (though I will miss Al's) get redeveloped into something tall enough to hold itself proud against the two towers across Ontario from them.

^ I agree, personally I like that the new proposal fills the lot completely rather than having the perpendicular cutbacks as Broadway chamfers the site. Also the brick seems to fit the context better while still having ample windows for light and a modern look. The new design is much more respectful imo, but the increase in parking in combination with the lower density is blasphemy...

In many ways I think the new design is a downgrade and I hope it has one more refinement before being constructed. While I don't mind the reduction in height, the upper floor setbacks, and the inclusion of brick, this new design actually feels more massive than the prior. I think a lot of this has to do with the block long unbroken expanse of the brick block. The stepped facade actually made the previous design feel like a series of slender towers, and I think that the design would be much improved by allowing the balcony recesses to break the brick "cornice" into several distinct brick boxes.

I'm also really not keen on the several expanses of windowless brick. Especially where they in at least 4 locations extend down to the sidewalk. The little red awnings seem like an attempt at making a cold retail floor seem friendlier. In general I think most modern developments don't understand pedestrian oriented retail design and what makes historic retail spaces more friendly to walk past. Just because it's modern in design doesn't mean it can't have a ground floor with transparency, permeability, scale, and detail.

Lastly, there was a definite design clarity in the previous design that has been lost. The setbacks on the 5th-7th floors are rambling all over the place with no logic defining their geometry. The little brick detail above the 1st and 4th floors seem random and unrelated to anything else. On the south corner the brick block is treated like it is a 20' deep mass set in front of an all brick building, but on the north elevation it breaks apart and sets back in a way that defies that logic.

Overall I know Optima can do better. It seems like they were seeking revenge over responses to the neighborhood comments, rather than making a thoughtful response.

Reading what you wrote I feel like we were looking at completely different illustrations.

This rather generic looking office box (set inside an early 2000's video game) is what's shown on the new owner's website:
https://i.postimg.cc/fRTzYkSm/Render...lls-crop-1.jpg

Looks like a vertical "Don't Break the Ice" game.

Permit issued for a new 1-story retail building at North/Western, where the Pizza Hut closed down. I thought that was getting turned into a res infill?

I think it's going to become a 7-Eleven

Damn, that's a disappointment.

Oh great - just a substitute (at best) for the Pizza Hut. Very disappointing. And, as 7-11's seem to always do, they'll put a surface lot right on the corner.

Pilsen Gateway

https://i.imgur.com/Z0JHWNp.jpg?1

The silver lining is that a vacant lot across the street from this got go ahead for a new mixed use building. Only 6 units and ground floor retail but still good to see things fill in there.

Roots Pizza - 744 S Dearborn
 

January 13, 2020

57-63 W Erie
 

January 16, 2020









The site is east of the Walgreens (to the right in the picture).