[Domer2019]

Originally Posted by chiphile

I live in the building next door (910 S. Michigan). My neighbors are going to have their south views blocked due to this proposal.

Their thoughts?

They think it's an excellent project. They appreciate that it is slender and won't obstruct the entire south face of 910 S. Michigan, they think it fits the neighborhood, they think it'll help the area, and they think that south loop residents shouldn't complain about density since it's not even close to river north or even Lincoln park. Traffic? They say you can lay in the middle of 9th street and not get hit. On top of that, my neighbors are retirees, looking to sell their unit soon. [Mind you, they vehemently opposed the previous proposal at this site, but their opposition was intelligent, in my view, as the previous proposal was super bulky and didn't consider the surroundings.]

The problem is, they are too busy, and don't feel they should have to show up to a meeting to advocate for a private developer. In my case, I don't have time to use 2 hours of my evening to advocate for a private developer, either, despite my skyscraper/density/city/Chicago enthusiasm. The whole process is ridiculous, the developers own the land, they should be able to build a suitable use that is zoned for the land, that's it.

Aldermen should know people with narrow self-interests will show up at these things. For every NIMBY voice, there are 25 normal people who are either 1) too busy to show up to tea party town halls; or 2) are indifferent, which functionally counts as a "yes" vote.

It's scary that aldermen are either hopelessly naive to think that the groups that show to these meetings are an accurate representation of their ward and the opinions carried, or that they knowingly cave to minority opinions.