This is where Lightfoot pleasantly surprises me. When she was first elected it was generally perceived that she would be good for addressing long neglected neighborhood issues within the city, but what many did not know (myself included) is that she would be good for the overall economy and growth of downtown. She has been literally rolling her sleeves up and digging in to help grow and develop downtown. Its great to see........
Originally posted by Randomguy34:
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...aling-downtown
Lightfoot reveals vision for healing downtown
Quote:
The city's plan calls for closing parts of major streets for entertainment, filling vacant storefronts and boosting big developments, all to help the city spark a post-COVID rebound.
The Lightfoot administration is proposing to close portions of three of the city’s major thoroughfares on occasion this summer—North Michigan Avenue, State Street and LaSalle Street—as part of a newly detailed plan to help downtown bounce back from the pandemic.
The city is also pledging to help developers of large projects such as the 78 and the former Michael Reese hospital site lure anchor tenants; backing plans for pop-up stores and other creative ways to temporarily fill vacant retail storefronts; and pondering a new way to let business groups establish and promote themselves by leveling a tax on their members. Read a report on the plan below.
....
Mayekar said Lightfoot personally has been meeting with developers, real estate investors and others in hopes of jump-starting large developments, including the Lincoln Yards project. A recent boom in development of biomedical lab space there and more prominently in the Fulton Market area is partially the result of such sessions, and more may be on the way, he said.