CHICAGO | General Developments

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Such a shame that the filthy, low employment, loud, dirty, dusty, mess of an industry is vacating prime riverfront property smack dab between the nicest neighborhood in the city and the hottest neighborhood int he city right around the corner from a Metra station. What a terrible terrible loss, however will we recover? First the salt pile and now this? Before you know it this area will be full of all kinds of horrible things like riverwalks, Bloomingdale Trail extensions, luxury condos, and tech offices. Chicago will never recover.


Honestly though, I like the fact that there is part of Lincoln Park where you can accidentally drive through an active scrap yard complete with magnet cranes, car crushers, and quarter mile lines of scrapadero trucks, but it makes absolutely no 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 sense. There are plenty of neighborhoods that could use the 6 jobs where this type of operation would actually make sense.

I agree completely; I think that the neighborhood has changed to the point, that it doesn't make sense for these types of operations to exist here anymore. If I owned or operated these types of operations, I would be looking to move to a newer, better facility with an easier way to get trucks in and out of the facility. The way it is currently set up, trucks have to go down Clybourn, or wind there way thru the narrow alleys, and it just doesn't make sense anymore.

Now, having said that, I do support the idea of mixed-use neighborhoods, as long as it is planned and set up correctly. And, as a Gen-Xer, I admit, that one of the appeals of urban living, back in the 90's, was the edgy, grungy, industrial grittiness of it all....that was something that appealed to Gen-Xers at that time...it was the Anti-Suburb....it all seemed so dark and wicked and fun...but, that was just a snapshot in time....a snapshot of that era...and we were some of the first rounds of young people who moved back to the Cities...now, cities are revitalizing, evolving, moving on to the next level (or, some would say, returning to what they were supposed to be all along), and Chicago in particular is starting to come into full bloom as a clean, beautiful city that serves ALL people. And, part of that is to plan urban neighborhoods in a way that they can accommodate light industry like this...but Lincoln Park is not the place to have this at this time.

[ardecila]

Scrap metal yards and steel plants are not "light" industry.

[Buckman821]

Originally Posted by Ryanrule

rental prices and market value are highly divorced these days.

huh?

These pricey towers are full. I wish they cost less too but that doesn't mean they are divorced from the market.

[Near North Resident]

So uh, Saw that the tower crane for 750 N. Hudson was being constructed yesterday, thats nice... no pictures sorry :/

Also they are definitely demolishing the former planet hollywood/ginos east building FINALLY saw some trucks there and equipment

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by PKDickman

They're part of a planned manufacturing district, but that doesn't mean manufacturing only. Although it precludes residential development The M zoning still allows for a fair range of commercial and office uses.

If we don't want all engineering and industry to be in Asia or the burbs, then it needs a place to happen. Corporate just isn't going to pay for large engineering spaces to be on the 50th floor of a loop tower, and the test equipment would never fit in the elevators.

There needs to be some big boxy warehouse type spaces where there's still room for loading docks and big work spaces. That scrap yard could become an amazing technology campus and successfully draw employees from all over with its transit access.

[maru2501]

Originally Posted by Near North Resident

So uh, Saw that the tower crane for 750 N. Hudson was being constructed yesterday, thats nice... no pictures sorry :/

Also they are definitely demolishing the former planet hollywood/ginos east building FINALLY saw some trucks there and equipment

crane caught me by surprise today on Brown

[PKDickman]

Originally Posted by aaron38

If we don't want all engineering and industry to be in Asia or the burbs, then it needs a place to happen. Corporate just isn't going to pay for large engineering spaces to be on the 50th floor of a loop tower, and the test equipment would never fit in the elevators.

There needs to be some big boxy warehouse type spaces where there's still room for loading docks and big work spaces. That scrap yard could become an amazing technology campus and successfully draw employees from all over with its transit access.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. In fact I think important enough that we should maintain a strategic reserve of these lands, which is what the PMDs were supposed to do.

Whenever I hear comments like we heard above, I hear "Some of my best friends are factories" and "They prefer to be with their own kind"

[orulz]

Originally Posted by intrepidDesign

Almost everyone I know, who is single, and has a decent job, is looking to spend no more than $900 a month on rent. Is this low? Apparently it is. But they either have to get a roommate or move further out of the city to find something. I like that this developer isn't aiming for "luxury' rentals, but I think there is room for variety in our housing options, which in turn leads to a non-homogeneous variety of city dwellers, which I happen to think is important.

You're not going to get $900/mo in a new construction CBD high rise. Not without subsidy. Period, end of story.

But this to me is the reason for the TOD ordinance. It allows for development to be denser and have less parking in areas where land prices aren't so high in areas where, while you don't live directly in the CBD, you have easy access to it and the rest of the city via transit.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by intrepidDesign

Almost everyone I know, who is single, and has a decent job, is looking to spend no more than $900 a month on rent. Is this low? Apparently it is. But they either have to get a roommate or move further out of the city to find something. I like that this developer isn't aiming for "luxury' rentals, but I think there is room for variety in our housing options, which in turn leads to a non-homogeneous variety of city dwellers, which I happen to think is important.

its impossible to generalize because everyone is making different salaries and even "decent" can vary wildly depending on your lifestyle. the difference between even making $50,000 and $70,000 can vastly change the types of places you can afford.

when i moved to the city a few years ago, it was still pretty easy to find a comfortable vintage 1 bedroom courtyard apartment for $700-800 in a place like ravenswood. i had a friend living at a belmont/clark studio (basically above the L&L) for like $500. things have changed radically in that time, and incomes for most people really havent kept up. the people snatching up these luxury downtown units arent really the people i know, but clearly theres a lot of them.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by King of Chicago

I can't really see the photo, but it looks ok to me. What exactly would you say is wrong with it?

It's an empty lot facing the lake on LSD. It's one of just two or three missing teeth in the Gold Coast street wall and I was hoping from something tall and elegant -- not squat and PoMo.

Regardless, the neighbors are going to flip a giant 🞵🞵🞵🞵. So that should be fun to watch.

[Kngkyle]

Almost everyone I know around my age (23-28) who lives in the city has a roommate. If you do that, then it's pretty darn cheap. A 2 bedroom 2 bathroom or 2 bed 1 bath in a nice neighborhood sets you back $1300-$1800/mo. Split that in two and it's almost the same as what I paid for my tiny and disgusting college dorm.

My roommate and I could easily afford to live on our own in the city with our salaries, but we'd rather have an extra $1k per month to spend (or save) as we desire.

[King of Chicago]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

It's an empty lot facing the lake on LSD. It's one of just two or three missing teeth in the Gold Coast street wall and I was hoping from something tall and elegant -- not squat and PoMo.

Regardless, the neighbors are going to flip a giant 🞵🞵🞵🞵. So that should be fun to watch.

Ah ok, gotcha.

I'm relatively new to this site, and I am glad I found it! I feel like I have found my "urban planning brethren" here. Great to know that other people love exploring the city, and analyzing how architecture creates the vibe, and creates the street vista, etc.

[the urban politician]

The rents in Chicago are too low, unfortunately. They need to be about 50-75% higher.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

The rents in Chicago are too low, unfortunately. They need to be about 50-75% higher.

what a shock, a landlord who thinks he's entitled to more money than what the market will bear

why not just say you think you're entitled to 500% higher rent, since youre clearly living in a delusional fantasy world.

it takes a really warped brain to say "the cost of housing is too damn low!". unless youre a predatory developer who stands to profit off it. i mean, why even advocate for more apartments/development/density anyway, since thats only going to keep prices down, right? if you want the amount you can charge to go up, maybe start attending some NIMBY meetings! seems like its more your crowd.

[ithakas]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

Almost everyone I know around my age (23-28) who lives in the city has a roommate. If you do that, then it's pretty darn cheap. A 2 bedroom 2 bathroom or 2 bed 1 bath in a nice neighborhood sets you back $1300-$1800/mo. Split that in two and it's almost the same as what I paid for my tiny and disgusting college dorm.

My roommate and I could easily afford to live on our own in the city with our salaries, but we'd rather have an extra $1k per month to spend (or save) as we desire.

My roommates and I split a 3 bedroom on the border of Bucktown/Logan Square for $1300 total, a 7-minute walk from the blue line. The apartment's a classic three-flat, nicely sized too. I could afford higher rent but am saving my money to buy a loft in Printers Row instead.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

what a shock, a landlord who thinks he's entitled to more money than what the market will bear

why not just say you think you're entitled to 500% higher rent, since youre clearly living in a delusional fantasy world.

it takes a really warped brain to say "the cost of housing is too damn low!". unless youre a predatory developer who stands to profit off it. i mean, why even advocate for more apartments/development/density anyway, since thats only going to keep prices down, right? if you want the amount you can charge to go up, maybe start attending some NIMBY meetings! seems like its more your crowd.

Higher rents will only spur more construction and more rehabs of Chicago's existing building stock throughout the city.

God bless high rents. Those are to thank for the entire construction boom you've witnessed over the past several years. God bless them, and I want them to be higher and higher, so that people will be forced to find relatively cheaper apartments in outlying neighborhoods, thus spurring ever more investment and rehab.

What a wonderful, virtuous cycle.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

God bless them, and I want them to be higher and higher

tell us something we dont already know. your attitude contibutes nothing other than preying on those most vulnerable to price fluxuations, but im sure you sleep soundly on your pillows of cash

thankfully for the rest of us simply trying to eke out a living here while contributing to our communities in positive ways beyond money grubbing, the world dosent revolve around you and your arbitrary wants

What a wonderful, virtuous cycle.

yea, i cant wait to hear what you think of the cycle when this all bottoms out again for another decade

[maru2501]

^ you need to play more sim city or something

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

yea, i cant wait to hear what you think of the cycle when this all bottoms out again for another decade

^ But what makes you think I will stop when the cycle goes bust? The process only accelerates. Once you hit a bust, property values drop, and investors 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 up cheap property left and right, upgrade them, and rent them out at higher prices for a gain.

The peaks and valleys only speed up the process, they don't slow it down. We are due for a price drop, as it's getting next to impossible to find good deals in better parts of town these days.

[Ryanrule]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ But what makes you think I will stop when the cycle goes bust? The process only accelerates. Once you hit a bust, property values drop, and investors 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 up cheap property left and right, upgrade them, and rent them out at higher prices for a gain.

The peaks and valleys only speed up the process, they don't slow it down. We are due for a price drop, as it's getting next to impossible to find good deals in better parts of town these days.

yeah keep that 🞵🞵🞵🞵 up. it ends with people like you on a bonfire.