CHICAGO | Highrise Projects & Construction, v7

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

So i would say that it is being driven by analysis and numbers after all. You think McDonalds just haphazardly moves its HQ that it has been in for decades without thinking it through?

Yes I do, actually. As evidence of which we're all aware, McD's came within inches of wrapping up a deal at One Prudential Plaza just 8 or 9 months ago....a political situation at the co. Scuttled that deal at the last minute, and now they all moving to a completely different (inferior) type of site on the opposite end of downtown. I can tell you for certain that it is not in fact high Analytics and sophisticated thinking that's at work here....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

OR

Harpo 89.6
Pru 94

if averaged...that would TRULY be all things considered

Lol - transit would get a weighting 2-3x or even more over the other two in a corp hq location decision....(besides, it's really been transit that we've been - appropriately - focusing on here, as that's pretty much the ballgame - or it should be - when it comes to your specific greater downtown area siting for your large new corp hq......nice try though....

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by mattshoe

Does anybody know when 465 N Park is going to break ground? I just walked by and they were moving dirt around

Whoa, just saw this post. Is this in site prep?

What do we got, permit sleuthers?

[MultiModal]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Whoa, just saw this post. Is this in site prep?

What do we got, permit sleuthers?

This is what I found:

TEMPORARY ELECTRICAL SERVICE FOR NEW 47-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING

ESTIMATED_COST $5,000.00

It was issued 4/5/2016

[lu9]

Originally Posted by emathias

I'm disappointed in the color of the bricks on the HoJo tower. The original rendering put them as grayish, but in person they're very much beige/yellowish, not that different from the painted concrete of many other buildings in River North from the last boom. The latest photos don't fully reflect that coloring.

Saw this building on Friday last week and I completely agree with this statement. I looked up at it and my very first thought was... beige!

So much potential...

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Lol - transit would get a weighting 2-3x or even more over the other two in a corp hq location decision.....nice try though....

You literally keep moving the goalposts with entirely arbitrary metrics. And that's if you even lend any credence to the idea that some silly internet number is a reliable measurement of anything. Beyond that everything you have been posting is speculation, an embellishment of a bit of reporting that was short of any real details. How do you know the internal politics of McDonalds? I've done enough office leasing to know that it is not at all uncommon for companies to go down the road on a potential location and change their focus as they accumulate more information on their siting needs or overall requirements. Are you telling us all that you have inside knowledge of how McDonalds made their decision or are you literally just making this all up? It's starting to sound to me that you are associated with the 1 Pru leasing team and are just salty that you lost the prospect.

[chicagoflorida]

Originally Posted by MultiModal

This is what I found:

TEMPORARY ELECTRICAL SERVICE FOR NEW 47-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING

ESTIMATED_COST $5,000.00

It was issued 4/5/2016

[k1052]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Very interesting if true. It's not that difficult to think that a rare developer with high ethical standards (do not know that that applies to Lennar) might not be comfortable at all with the actual (opaque and riddled with obscene corruption) process of seeking and obtaining a change of zoning in Chicago........let's see if they're swiftly rewarded for any such standards with a spot downzoning.....

That's a little paranoid.

[ChiTownWonder]

HOJO tower is Really towering over the area now! Im also worried for the bricks, but ill hold out until the towers finished. also I also kind of like the lennar proposal too, not beautiful, but it has a nice presence.

[ChiTownWonder]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Lol - transit would get a weighting 2-3x or even more over the other two in a corp hq location decision.....nice try though....

Rolling my eyes at all this feud over the McDonald's move. If anything we should be happy that they moved into the city at all, and we should be happy that this new HQ will bring a lot of activity to the area, possibly sparking new developments, and help boost the area as a whole. Chicago wont ever have a McSupertall, thats not whats important, so get over it.

[SamInTheLoop]

Good to see this one (with big institutional equity behind it) apparently launching. Part of this year's P/H trifecta of mediocrity (including 801 Financial and the one next to K2)....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by emathias

I like this design better than either of the other examples you gave. It would be nice to have a glassier building in the area. I live across the street from this.

It's not the glassiness, it's the unsophisticatedness....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Ding ding ding. We have a winner! McDonalds likely shopped around to all the proposed options including the office buildings going up on Franklin, older existing like Aon, and new econoboxes like 645 Madison and Harpo ( really what this is, just disguised as a "hip warehouse"). They probably quickly discovered that it is very difficult to shoehorn special uses like say a test kitchen, major conferencing facilities capable of handling the full assembly of a F500 companies employees or customers, etc. into an existing building or even just multi tenant office high-rises in general. The Harpo, and to an extent, Google site offer the most similar and flexible urban alternative to the suburban campuses these companies are used to. The gross rents are probably equally similar. It's fairly obvious why these big companies are attracted to the likes of 1k Fulton, Merch Mart, and even loft nouveau like Harpo. These companies are just throwing darts, they are looking for the most flexible space to their business models and, largely thanks to Sterling Bay, have discovered that these alternative office spaces and locations offer that flexible for less rent. Similar motives led these companies to the suburbs in the first place as modern corporate culture dawned and being able to accommodate their campus needs is crucial for them to return.

Also, if you are a trophy tower landlord you probably don't want your building smelling like transfats all the time either. I don't even want to know what the code would be for black iron in a multi tent office high-rise would be either.

Also - transfats? Really? It's 2016 - not 2006....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

You literally keep moving the goalposts with entirely arbitrary metrics. And that's if you even lend any credence to the idea that some silly internet number is a reliable measurement of anything. Beyond that everything you have been posting is speculation, an embellishment of a bit of reporting that was short of any real details. How do you know the internal politics of McDonalds? I've done enough office leasing to know that it is not at all uncommon for companies to go down the road on a potential location and change their focus as they accumulate more information on their siting needs or overall requirements. Are you telling us all that you have inside knowledge of how McDonalds made their decision or are you literally just making this all up? It's starting to sound to me that you are associated with the 1 Pru leasing team and are just salty that you lost the prospect.

No - I'm refuting specific points - that harpo is as transit-friendly as east loop (definitely false), and that this was a well considered, numbers and analytically driven and highly reasoned decision by McD's (nein).......and in office leasing, or some sort of broker of any kind? Really?! Have you met many of those people?! Good lord, dude (also no stake of any kind on that deal).......

[J_M_Tungsten]

^^^This conversation is hijacking the forum...

[emathias]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

It's not the glassiness, it's the unsophisticatedness....

It's quite a bit more sophisticated than a lot of other stuff that's gone up lately. It either doesn't have parking (which seems unlikely) or manages to incorporate it in a way that's less obtrusive. It has retail all around the base. It's asymmetrical in a way that doesn't look garish or forced.

Is it the most exciting thing ever? No. But it's certainly more thoughtful than the average building being constructed right now.

[Justin_Chicago]

The whole McD conversation is hilarious when you consider how far suburban commuters have to walk or take a MTA transfer to their office in NYC when they arrive at Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station.

[pilsenarch]

with regard to HoJo... yeah, the beige brick is troubling (apparently the bKL folks agree) but I think we need to wait... there will be dark brick as well...

the comment re it looking like a 60's LSD building I assume is a compliment

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by emathias

It's quite a bit more sophisticated than a lot of other stuff that's gone up lately. It either doesn't have parking (which seems unlikely) or manages to incorporate it in a way that's less obtrusive. It has retail all around the base. It's asymmetrical in a way that doesn't look garish or forced.

Is it the most exciting thing ever? No. But it's certainly more thoughtful than the average building being constructed right now.

The urban design/impact of the project seems absolutely fine. It's the architecture that appears amateurish......at any rate, it won't be offensive....just a filler building adding more density and activated retail on the street.....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by k1052

That's a little paranoid.

Maybe.....but I don't know......perhaps they'll just get their building permits held up for a year or two?