Quote:
Originally Posted by nomarandlee
I think that Amtrak and BNSF would sell those air rights on the cheap as long as they didn't interfere with operations. If the Loop had expanded to the size of Midtown, the demand probably would have called for the tracks to be covered, similar to north of the OPO.
Before the Fire Stadium was announced, I thought it could make sense to at least put a large parking structure over the tracks to make room for parking of a casino or stadium complex. Truth be told, there may be enough parking nearby off Roosevelt as it is to not require much additional parking.
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My thoughts were more about interference with their operations. There will need to be dozens if not hundreds of support beams that will have to be placed in between the tracks and that may be perceived as problematic by all the rail operators.
The land immediately north of the OPO is much more desirable due to its location in the heart of the West Loop, with immediate access to the largest employment center in the state as well as the two largest train terminals in the city. They are also much smaller in scale, and as such were probably a much easier sell to build over as a result. Even with all those benefits, it still took decades for them to be built on, with the final piece being 150 N Riverside completed fairly recently.
While development of the BNSF/Amtrak yard is in the realm of possibility, until we get all the conventionally available land in the immediate area developed and Chicago really does begin to resemble Midtown, no developer is going to see a need for that railyard to be built over, especially considering the astronomical costs.
Fun to dream about it though
