CHICAGO | General Developments

[thegoatman]

Didn't this proect start construction in like 2020? Shit's taking forever.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

Didn't this proect start construction in like 2020? Shit's taking forever.

I think it started even long before that--like 2018ish? I was working in the west loop back then and this was under construction if I'm not mistaken.

[SolarWind]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

Didn't this proect start construction in like 2020? Shit's taking forever.

There was activity on the site back in October 2016. I posted earlier photos back in April of this year.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ostcount=50482

[SteelMonkey]

Yep beat me to it - this also from 2016 as it was underway

https://chicago.curbed.com/2016/10/3...ondos-for-sale

[west-town-brad]

I would imagine they are trying to sell out one building before starting the next... and while it looks like one big long building, I think it's actually 5 separate structures.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/21...home/167689615

[west-town-brad]

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/07/con...an-square.html

this one is about topped out, which has caused quite a bit of distribution to this intersection from what appears to be extensive gas line and sewer/water line upgrades underground

glad to see this ended up with 5 floors versus the 4 floor plan originally proposed back in 2019

[thegoatman]

More utility lines need to be buried underground. Chicago is already ahead of most cities since alot of them are hidden in alleys, but I know in the West Loop there's still lots of utility lines around streets which kinda ruins the streetscape.

But do you have a picture of the completed project? (2406 w armitage)

[Busy Bee]

^ You ought to peruse the Philadelphia forum. Now that's a city with a serious problem. And their unwillingness to tackle overhead utility burial leads to ghastly aesthetic consequences with beer fridge sized meter blocks bolted to the front of brand new construction with vertical conduits running all over the place. It's a mess. Chicago is a dream by comparison.

[Handro]

Demo permit for Chicago Joe's on Irving Park was issued yesterday--clearing the way for the new mixed use building proposed there.

Lots of new housing units under (or soon to be under) construction within a half mile radius of Irving/Damen.

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

More utility lines need to be buried underground. Chicago is already ahead of most cities since alot of them are hidden in alleys, but I know in the West Loop there's still lots of utility lines around streets which kinda ruins the streetscape.

But do you have a picture of the completed project? (2406 w armitage)

I would love for more utility lines to be underground. Alleys would be an easy place to start to move underground since that's where all the lines are now - aside from the issue of the final connection to buildings which are all overhead.

I can try to snap a photo at some point of 2406 armitage/2000 western...

[ardecila]

If the power lines are already tucked away in the alleys, why spend money to move them? Out of sight, out of mind.

Doing underground connections to the alley would be a nightmare given how tightly packed all the garages are. CTA had to move some power lines underground for the RPM project in Uptown/Edgewater, but they kept a short pole for each building to keep their overhead service (and streetlights): https://goo.gl/maps/vnmWniS1KZjKdabM6

Where there is not an alley available, I agree they should move underground (Fulton Market area, etc).

[Via Chicago]

i dont think alley power lines are too big a deal. my bigger annoyance is the street light wires which hang over parkways, which inevitably lead to trees either not being able to be planted under them, or awful hack jobs once they get tall enough to interfere.

[thegoatman]

ugh, those hanging power lines on columbus and LSD are so ugly

[Tom In Chicago]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

ugh, those hanging power lines on columbus and LSD are so ugly

What power lines???

. . .

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by ardecila

If the power lines are already tucked away in the alleys, why spend money to move them? Out of sight, out of mind.

exactly.

that's the whole point of having alleys in the first place.

spending untold billions to bury the city's 1,900 miles of utility lines running down alleys would be one of the most monumentally stupid expenses ever.

[west-town-brad]

how about alleys that are also streets?

https://goo.gl/maps/EHyMvf1dLhPLF7Sf7

[Busy Bee]

Much of the "density" of the utility thicket is actually the cable and comms that hang at the lower levels... Those are the bigger offenders beyond the transmission lines and transformers. The telephone lines are less of an issue these days bit likely aren't going away for many many years, if ever entirely as there will always be a case for landlines. The cable TV lines are the biggest offenders with their wrapped bundles looking as thick as a boa constrictor and dangling messes strung to nearly every building. I watched a short story about electricity delivery (and theft) in Tbilisi, Georgia showing these chaotic thickets... Not quite that bad but on its way.

[Randomguy34]

Power lines in Chicago are a non-issue, especially compared to Philly, San Francisco, and NYC's outer-neighborhoods. Even in Fulton Market, they're slowly being buried below ground as more developments crop up.

[west-town-brad]

forget power lines, I would settle for sidewalks that are not hazardous.

unfortunately the city now tries to offload that responsibility onto individual property owners - like that little old lady who cant even afford to replace her 50 year old leaking roof.

[thegoatman]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

how about alleys that are also streets?

https://goo.gl/maps/EHyMvf1dLhPLF7Sf7

Chicago has such interesting streetscapes, love it