CHICAGO | General Developments - v2.0

[Randomguy34]

From June 2025, here's more detail about the yard expansion. They say they're going to cover the 14th St Yard after acquiring the 35th St/Canal St Yard from Union Pacific. Not sure why they'd need to cover the 14th St Yard unless there are future plans to develop on top of the site



https://miprc.org/Portals/0/userfiles/3/...on2.pdf?ver=jpD6YeueuXX1Ra5zyxAwUA%3D%3D

[left of center]

Very informative, thank you! I am bummed they are going to replace the Amtrak South Branch Bridge because it looks so cool, but I fully understand their need to.

I am still confused on the 35th/Canal yard purchase. They claim that the 14th St. yard is at capacity, but the 35th/Canal yard is much smaller so it would be a poor replacement, unless they plan on keeping both and using the Canal yard as an expansion maintenance site?

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by left of center

Very informative, thank you! I am bummed they are going to replace the Amtrak South Branch Bridge because it looks so cool, but I fully understand their need to.

I think any talk of replacement is premature... I'm guessing they need to study it further.

The PRR Canal St bridge was designed such that the "closed position" could be raised as part of a future track elevation project. But I don't know how they can do it today with the 18th St bridge and Orange Line viaduct. Those constrain the profile of the Amtrak line, you can't elevate Amtrak's line without moving both of those.

[Jstange059]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

From June 2025, here's more detail about the yard expansion. They say they're going to cover the 14th St Yard after acquiring the 35th St/Canal St Yard from Union Pacific. Not sure why they'd need to cover the 14th St Yard unless there are future plans to develop on top of the site



https://miprc.org/Portals/0/userfiles/3/...on2.pdf?ver=jpD6YeueuXX1Ra5zyxAwUA%3D%3D

Still want to fully understand what they mean by cover. Are they going to really be placing a massive platform spanning the train yards, Hudson Yards style? With the intensive pricetag I imagine that would accrue, I would definitey hope that they would build some substantial development atop. But as I understand the document, it sounds like they will both be operating out of their existing yards in addition to the new 35th street yards. Also, I see on the image that there is an arrow pointing to a “northern half” and a “southern half”, with the southern half being the 35th street yards. The northern half arrow just seems to point to the tracks spanning between the 35th street yards and the Chinatown yards to the north? Does that really count as a yard, or do they mean to be pointing at the Chinatown yards, which seem to be also owned by Union Pacific?

I would also wonder or be concerned about how a potential covering of the yards would impact the proposed incline to connect to a restored St. Charles Airline Bridge.

Originally Posted by left of center

Very informative, thank you! I am bummed they are going to replace the Amtrak South Branch Bridge because it looks so cool, but I fully understand their need to.

Yeah, definitely sad to lose that bridge, even if it makes sense. I’ve got some nice videos of trains crossing the bridge. But with the new bridge and the corresponding access tracks being elevated higher to allow boats to travel underneath, it may perhaps be easier to connect Ping Tom park with Grove street to the south or a potential future riverwalk. It’s a great park, but needs more access points.

Also, perhaps we should move this to the transportation thread, because this is definitely not related to highrises

[ardecila]

We're definitely getting out of highrise discussions lol, mods feel free to move this post...

Originally Posted by Jstange059

Still want to fully understand what they mean by cover. Are they going to really be placing a massive platform spanning the train yards, Hudson Yards style?

No, I assume this refers to a maintenance building with an overhead crane - "covered" as opposed to outdoor train storage. Maybe it will be a basic shed at first but they can upgrade it over time with work areas, inspection pits etc.

Also, I see on the image that there is an arrow pointing to a “northern half” and a “southern half”, with the southern half being the 35th street yards. The northern half arrow just seems to point to the tracks spanning between the 35th street yards and the Chinatown yards to the north? Does that really count as a yard, or do they mean to be pointing at the Chinatown yards, which seem to be also owned by Union Pacific?

UP operated the Canal St Yard as one facility. The north half by Chinatown was used for teaming (unloading containers onto trucks) while the south half by 35th St was used for storing empty well cars. UP doesn't need it anymore since they moved all of their teaming/intermodal ops to the suburbs, so I guess it's sold as a package deal. It's long and skinny, but it's quite a bit of space for Amtrak if they can find an efficient layout.

I would also wonder or be concerned about how a potential covering of the yards would impact the proposed incline to connect to a restored St. Charles Airline Bridge.

That's the big question. I'm surprised the Sox are considering this site. Even with Amtrak out of the picture, it's still a narrow site between the river and the main line tracks, only ~515 feet wide. Fenway is MLB's tightest ballpark, and even that would not fit between the river and the tracks. The only way it would work is if the ballpark fully stacks over the remaining tracks like Target Field in Minneapolis. Plus you'd need to build big garages and a bunch of expensive elevated roads to get there.

But if the ballpark goes south of the St Charles Air Line near 18th St, you could still build a track incline at the north - maybe even a weaved one that untangles Metra, Amtrak and future Metra crosstown service. Plus plenty of room to keep a train storage yard even if all the maintenance stuff goes elsewhere.

[Busy Bee]

Saks Fifth Avenue just announced the Mag Mile store is closing. (Crain's link)

This is getting depressing.

[MorganChi]

Originally Posted by left of center

Very informative, thank you! I am bummed they are going to replace the Amtrak South Branch Bridge because it looks so cool, but I fully understand their need to.

I am still confused on the 35th/Canal yard purchase. They claim that the 14th St. yard is at capacity, but the 35th/Canal yard is much smaller so it would be a poor replacement, unless they plan on keeping both and using the Canal yard as an expansion maintenance site?

Here my guess , I’ve been working at Amtrak for a year. Ever since Trump took funding from us we,ve been hurting bad. It’s so bad that the company is breaking into 3. Proof of this we are no longer servicing out of DC no
more .there are talks that we are getting rid of our long haul trains and keeping our commuter trips , for example Chicago -> stl.

[lakeshoredrive]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Saks Fifth Avenue just announced the Mag Mile store is closing. (Crain's link)

This is getting depressing.

they are closing in other cities too

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Saks Fifth Avenue just announced the Mag Mile store is closing. (Crain's link)

This is getting depressing.

Saks still had a Mich Ave store?

[BruceP]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Saks Fifth Avenue just announced the Mag Mile store is closing. (Crain's link)

This is getting depressing.

They've been heading towards bankruptcy for years now and finally filed in Jan 2026. They were my customer back before I retired from commercial banking in the early 2000's. Although I haven't looked at their financials since then, it was probably owing to over levering of debt at the parent holding company for acquisitions and overexpansion into areas that couldn't support a Saks.

Fun fact: Chicago was their first branch - and largest - outside of NYC, opened in 1929 - except for a few seasonal stores in resort areas such as Palm Beach and Aspen during the "season."

[ithakas]

The parent company also owns the large Neiman Marcus store across the street, so not totally surprising...

[wchicity]

Originally Posted by ithakas

The parent company also owns the large Neiman Marcus store across the street, so not totally surprising...

They've done the same consolidation in other downtown locations where they had stores in super close proximity. E.g, SF's Union Square & Boston's Copley Place. While not great for Michigan Ave, I don't think this is as much a reflection on Chicago's current retail environment as much as it is the company shuttering dozens of stores across the country.

[woodrow]

Depressing article in the NYT about the demise of Saks and Neiman Marcus - Saks Owner Says He Saved Department Stores. Never Mind the Bankruptcy.

Basically, buy the companies with debt backed by the real estate.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by woodrow

Depressing article in the NYT about the demise of Saks and Neiman Marcus - Saks Owner Says He Saved Department Stores. Never Mind the Bankruptcy.

Basically, buy the companies with debt backed by the real estate.

It's kinda interesting to see these depressing trends domestically..... When you are in Europe.

I was just in Barcelona this past weekend, and you see zero evidence of depressed retail. Maybe they have had their own downturn since online retail / Covid, but you see tons of people out on the streets, with tons of upscale stores.

Maybe it's a trend more pronounced in the US compared to peer cities in Europe......

My hope is Michigan Ave can keep focusing their energy on things that appear to be drawing crowds, which they do seem to be doing - I.E., Harry Potter, Starbucks, etc, etc. Things that are unique to Michigan Ave that people can't get back home.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by twister244

It's kinda interesting to see these depressing trends domestically..... When you are in Europe.

I was just in Barcelona this past weekend, and you see zero evidence of depressed retail. Maybe they have had their own downturn since online retail / Covid, but you see tons of people out on the streets, with tons of upscale stores.

Maybe it's a trend more pronounced in the US compared to peer cities in Europe......

My hope is Michigan Ave can keep focusing their energy on things that appear to be drawing crowds, which they do seem to be doing - I.E., Harry Potter, Starbucks, etc, etc. Things that are unique to Michigan Ave that people can't get back home.

Its not just specific to Michigan Ave, this phenomenon is occurring all over the country. Online retail is decimating brick and mortar. And it was honestly a long time coming. The difference you see in Barcelona vs Michigan Ave/5th Ave/Rodeo Drive, etc. is that the US was and still is absolutely over-retailed compared to Europe.

There are 8.5 billion square feet of retail space in the United States, which equates to 24.5 square feet of retail space per capita, or five times Europe’s average of 4.5 square feet per capita.

Source: https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications...es-navigating-changing-retail-landscape/

The actual amount varies somewhat depending on the source you find, but there is pretty much unanimous agreement that the US retail scene has been oversaturated for a long time, especially compared to other wealthy nations. It's only natural that stores would close, even in premier locations like Michigan Ave. Something like 40% of malls in the US have shuttered since 2010, so this trend has been ongoing for some time.

Michigan Ave is doing an excellent job of transforming from a shopping district to an experiential corridor with a lot of unique businesses that offer people something that they cannot experience back home. The vacancies that we currently along the street are a sign of the transition that is currently ongoing (and which has been accelerated by the pandemic), and as we progress through this retail churn we should see Boul Mich begin to fill up with more non retail concepts all the while still remaining a major destination for tourists and Chicagoans alike.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by left of center

The actual amount varies somewhat depending on the source you find, but there is pretty much unanimous agreement that the US retail scene has been oversaturated for a long time, especially compared to other wealthy nations. It's only natural that stores would close, even in premier locations like Michigan Ave. Something like 40% of malls in the US have shuttered since 2010, so this trend has been ongoing for some time.

Michigan Ave is doing an excellent job of transforming from a shopping district to an experiential corridor with a lot of unique businesses that offer people something that they cannot experience back home. The vacancies that we currently along the street are a sign of the transition that is currently ongoing (and which has been accelerated by the pandemic), and as we progress through this retail churn we should see Boul Mich begin to fill up with more non retail concepts all the while still remaining a major destination for tourists and Chicagoans alike.

"...There are 8.5 billion square feet of retail space in the United States, which equates to 24.5 square feet of retail space per capita, or five times Europe’s average of 4.5 square feet per capita..."

That is a wild stat. I am guessing a lot of that can be attributed to the size of box stores in the U.S.

As far as Michigan Ave, while it is good to have large anchors, I have long thought, and perhaps am wishcasting, that more boutique or standalone stores will come to dominate the street. Number one, I think it raises the profile of labels when they have their own standalone stores (of course, I presume it's more expensive than contracting with big-name retailers). Number two, I think it is more visually interesting and dynamic when you have a slew of stores lining up the street as opposed to huge monoliths taking up hundreads of square feet of street frontage. The street has actually seen several good retail stores pop up over the last few months (Eleventy, Mango).

Michigan Avenue is long overdue for a more human-scaled approach to both the street itself and the retail front. Big luxury box stores actually aren't a great driver of foot traffic per/square foot. There are not too many middle-class folks who feel inclined to go shop at Nieman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, or Saks for products that they can't afford, 90% of the items. Yet, those retailers take up an absolutely gigantic amount of space.

[BrinChi]

I'd be curious to know the retail square feet per capita available within the City of Chicago and see a heatmap of this figure across the country.

[dreamy-developer]

that more boutique or standalone stores will come to dominate the street

Yes! I've been echoing this for years since I moved here! My biggest theory why this may be harder than it is said is because of the astronomical rent Michigan asks for. I could imagine that they've cornered themselves into only getting big box retail to sign leases as they can afford the loss of profit if it happens. I'm unaware of any smaller "boutique or standalone stores" that have large capital that they could afford to setup on Michigan Ave.

Michigan Avenue is long overdue for a more human-scaled approach to both the street itself and the retail front.

Also yes, As my signature suggests lol, Michigan Ave needs bus lanes so badly, maybe a shared bike lane as well. It's an absolute stroad to walk down, as cool as some stores that have opened up are, the corridor needs a road diet deseperatly.

[twister244]

Great analysis on the retail front - Appreciate the stats....

Something else you see too is store sizes... You don't see as many big box retail stores in larger European cities. Your high-end stores tend to be smaller in nature. Which made me realize, if you go off Michigan a bit up to the "Viagra Triangle" area on Oak Street - You see a ton of cute small stores that seem to be doing just fine over there. I'm sure they have been hit over the years too, but the impact doesn't seem to be as pronounced.

Anyways, I would hope that the Saks space can eventually be turned into something interesting for the corridor.

[Jstange059]

Quite a large building being proposed in Bronzeville, containing a 111 room hotel, hip hop museum, community center, tech hub, and workforce training center. Quite a diverse set of programming. The full name of the development is “Technology Renewable Energy Command Center Global Campus for Youth & Families”, which is thankfully shortened to TRECC.

And in phase 2, for some reason which I am unable to understand, they are proposing constructing a 393 parking spot automated parking garage. I don’t understand. Here’s to hoping phase 2 does not end up getting constructed, this building does not require 393 parking spots, and I can’t imagine the maintenance costs of such a large automated parking garage