CHICAGO | General Developments

[laforret]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yes, exactly. The area has potential and anything is changeable. It's near more than people want to give it credit for basic life needs wise and there's already shit there like Whole Foods, Best Buy, Walgreens, Dominick's (which will hopefully become something else), Home Depot, CorePower Yoga, LA Fitness, Binny's, Bed/Bath/Beyond, DSW, Staples, etc and there's even a strip club (Pink Monkey) ;-) Not to mention some local options and whatever the hell is going to go into The Maxwell ....

I totally agree. I actually live in the South Loop and will make the trip over to whole foods at least once a week. I would have rented an apartment that was walking distance of Whole Foods and LA Fitness.

The other thing is that views from the parking lot of whole foods is pretty amazing. Since everything in the area is low and the rail yards, river, dearborn park, UIC, and highway ensure a large swath shortness, anything over 4 stories has some amazing views of the Chicago skyline. (the top floor parking of the South Loop Target also has some wicked views.. =)

[Chicago Shawn]

Typical news day; Bronzeville Forum: 2 steps forward and Kimball/Lawrence Walgreen's: 5 steps back. I really hate Walgreen's, they are destroying urbanity 1 corner at a time. Why the hell do they need a parking lot across the street from the Brown Line? On the plus side, it appears a variance is needed for the curb cut, so perhaps it will get blocked. Its also going to be sad to lose that classic corner commercial building for that proposed suburban garbage. I love their new flagship stores but someone needs to convince them to stop trashing neighborhood locations with these crap designs and site plans.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by marothisu

^ Can't think of what building you're talking about. How far north of the Damen Blue Line stop is it?

Turning that Coyote building into a boutique hotel would be great. Anybody hear anything else about it since news first broke a few months ago?

(Click) This is the building

The new cornice looks great, from late October:

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Typical news day; Bronzeville Forum: 2 steps forward and Kimball/Lawrence Walgreen's: 5 steps back. I really hate Walgreen's, they are destroying urbanity 1 corner at a time. Why the hell do they need a parking lot across the street from the Brown Line? On the plus side, it appears a variance is needed for the curb cut, so perhaps it will get blocked. Its also going to be sad to lose that classic corner commercial building for that proposed suburban garbage. I love their new flagship stores but someone needs to convince them to stop trashing neighborhood locations with these crap designs and site plans.

I don't understand Walgreens. They blow us away with two really great adaptive reuse projects yet continue to ruin corners throughout the city. They ruined that south east corner of Sheridan and Irving Park for years to come, the new pos that just went up on Broadway in Edgewater, this, and whatever else that doesn't come to mind right now...
Horrible. Needs to stop.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

Truly disgusting. This crap just can't be allowed. Who is asleep at the switch here? Walgreens has to start being called out on this publically by somebody of note.

I believe this is Deborah Mells ward, if that happens, she needs to go.

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Why the hell do [Walgreens] need a parking lot across the street from the Brown Line?

So sick old people can stop by and pick up medicine? So moms with kids in the SUV can stop on the way home from soccer to get milk? It's not for the employees. It's—gasp—to attract customers.

The neighborhood around Kimball Terminal is primarily single-family homes (some small apartment buildings) and their residents have children and busy lives. They also conduct many daily activities by automobile. Not everyone in every city neighborhood is a 27-year-old coder on his way to the Mart.

[Buckman821]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

So sick old people can stop by and pick up medicine? So moms with kids in the SUV can stop on the way home from soccer to get milk? It's not for the employees. It's—gasp—to attract customers.

The neighborhood around Kimball Terminal is primarily single-family homes (some small apartment buildings) and their residents have children and busy lives. They also conduct many daily activities by automobile. Not everyone in every city neighborhood is a 27-year-old coder on his way to the Mart.

Actually no, the area around that station is one of the most dense, if not the most dense, of all stops on the ravenswood branch.
This can plainly be seen from satellite view, but in case you need more evidence:

http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map
(be sure to flip the map to population density)

I think we all understand why walgreens wants this - GASP!!!!- but the point is it is extremely damaging to the urban fabric, and as a city, we should be able to stop it.

[BWChicago]

In particular the area north of Lawrence is heavily courtyard buildings. There's not all that much auto-oriented development along Lawrence east of Pulaski, save a few small strip malls and small grocery stores. Most of it is small, developable parking lots, which makes this all the worse.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yes, exactly. The area has potential and anything is changeable. It's near more than people want to give it credit for basic life needs wise and there's already shit there like Whole Foods, Best Buy, Walgreens, Dominick's (which will hopefully become something else), Home Depot, CorePower Yoga, LA Fitness, Binny's, Bed/Bath/Beyond, DSW, Staples, etc and there's even a strip club (Pink Monkey) ;-) Not to mention some local options and whatever the hell is going to go into The Maxwell (probably like a Nordstrom Rack). Do I dislike chains? Yes, yes I do. However, it's hard to dismiss the fact that there's a few grocery stores and home goods/electronics areas there as well as some restaurants and close to areas with even more food and not terribly far from a few train lines (not right on it, but not a massive distance).


Seriously though the basic shit is there already. If you put people in there, I bet anything that more local business would follow. It's not high on the list, obviously, but the area shouldn't be written off for future residential development.

Couldn't agree more with you and kemachs on this one. The city has really screwed itself big time with its approach to Roosevelt immediately west of the River and within 1 or 2 blocks N/S, including its steering of residential (or even outright blocking it) away......I understand the arguments for keeping this surbanish retail/light industrial wasteland for the next couple decades - they are however wrong....

[SamInTheLoop]

Very curious on today's Plan Commission meeting agenda.

201-223 W. Scott - 6 stories, 71 units. This is the Scott rental residences (incidentally, a fantastic design), that has been under construction for quite some time (with a lot of structural steel up now), right? It's on the agenda for a rezone from C2-3 to a residential-business PD (presumably to allow the building that is already being built). Hmmmmm.....

When first in the news I think last year, this was mentioned to be as-of-right afaik......anybody have the scoop?

[marothisu]

Smaller development news. Another day, another vacant lot gets developed in West Town. This time the lot at 1000 N Damen (Chicago & Augusta) gets a building permit for a 5 unit building. Architect is John Hanna.

Also, 3007-3013 N California getting two buildings at 6 units each. This is just north of Orbit Room. Currently a parking lot. Architect is Bill Kokalias. Also not far away, at least last time I was right near there was a multi unit building going up at the corner of Elston & Rockwell just down the street.

[J_M_Tungsten]

^ I've not noticed any vertical steel being placed after the first floor. Also, they have completely wrapped the first floor in some plastic tarp or something from the frontage on wells all the way down on Scott st. Is this for fireproofing? It looks odd, but more annoyingly, the delay in new steel is killing me!

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Chicago Shawn

Typical news day; Bronzeville Forum: 2 steps forward and Kimball/Lawrence Walgreen's: 5 steps back. I really hate Walgreen's, they are destroying urbanity 1 corner at a time. Why the hell do they need a parking lot across the street from the Brown Line? On the plus side, it appears a variance is needed for the curb cut, so perhaps it will get blocked. Its also going to be sad to lose that classic corner commercial building for that proposed suburban garbage. I love their new flagship stores but someone needs to convince them to stop trashing neighborhood locations with these crap designs and site plans.

If you read all of the comments by the neighbors they are against the parking lot at the corner. So they may be able to get some changes to the site plan. Unfortunately, regardless that historic building will be lost

[brian_b]

Originally Posted by laforret

I totally agree. I actually live in the South Loop and will make the trip over to whole foods at least once a week. I would have rented an apartment that was walking distance of Whole Foods and LA Fitness.

The other thing is that views from the parking lot of whole foods is pretty amazing. Since everything in the area is low and the rail yards, river, dearborn park, UIC, and highway ensure a large swath shortness, anything over 4 stories has some amazing views of the Chicago skyline. (the top floor parking of the South Loop Target also has some wicked views.. =)

If you think those views are good, you should see the views from the top-floor music room and the art room at NTA Elementary on Cermak. High ceilings, big glass panes, no obstructions. Very inspiring.

[the urban politician]

47 townhomes planned at Cleveland and Oak St.

The gentrification of former Cabrini Green continues..

[Chi-Sky21]

Strangers with cameras usually aren't so well received at elementary schools is my guess. I have wondered for awhile though how some of you guys are getting your shots from. The vantage point on a lot of the great pics on this forum are from areas i would think would be inaccessible to me.

[kemachs]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

If you read all of the comments by the neighbors they are against the parking lot at the corner. So they may be able to get some changes to the site plan. Unfortunately, regardless that historic building will be lost

What's preventing Walgreen's from locating..you know..IN the existing building. I guess the most obvious reason is parking, is there any room to put a lot behind or next to it?

Is re-use something the neighborhood could fight for?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

47 townhomes planned at Cleveland and Oak St.

The gentrification of former Cabrini Green continues..

Yeah, I think a few months ago there was something on this. Wish it was denser..better than nothing though. Are the row home residents still vacating/suing the city because the city failed to renovate their homes when the city said they would?

Some interesting stuff going on in that general area. Hey SpyGuy, what happened to that 30+ story tower proposed by Fifield at the SW corner of Orleans & Chestnut?

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

So sick old people can stop by and pick up medicine? So moms with kids in the SUV can stop on the way home from soccer to get milk? It's not for the employees. It's—gasp—to attract customers.

The neighborhood around Kimball Terminal is primarily single-family homes (some small apartment buildings) and their residents have children and busy lives. They also conduct many daily activities by automobile. Not everyone in every city neighborhood is a 27-year-old coder on his way to the Mart.

^ More of your trash. But I work in healthcare and I'm not buying your "debilitated old lady with a walker" imagery that you're trying to use to justify a corner parking lot.

I treat old people all the time. There are so many services out there that can deliver them drugs at home that it's ridiculous, not to mention that many have something called families that can do this for them. Lets also not forget that Walgreens is much more than a pharmacy at this point, and essentially operates as a convenience store that services far more than the quaint "old people" that your post attempts to conjure up as an image.

But what's the point of posting this? Mr. D will likely not have a response, he'll just stay quiet and make another irritating, coy & antagonizing comment to some other post 2 weeks from now. He lacks the ability to defend his assertions beyond a single, initial post.

[Chicago Shawn]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

So sick old people can stop by and pick up medicine? So moms with kids in the SUV can stop on the way home from soccer to get milk? It's not for the employees. It's—gasp—to attract customers.

The neighborhood around Kimball Terminal is primarily single-family homes (some small apartment buildings) and their residents have children and busy lives. They also conduct many daily activities by automobile. Not everyone in every city neighborhood is a 27-year-old coder on his way to the Mart.

Oh please. Not everyone lives out of their car and Walgreen's does understand that, otherwise they would incorporate parking and drive throughs into every location; but obviously they don't. Its a given the customer base here is going to arrive by train and bus considering the huge transit terminal across the street; and as others have said, this neighborhood has many multi-unit buildings with car-free residents, SFH is not the primary housing type here, but rather flats, courtyards and corner buildings. I have 2 friends for example who live car-free in a condo a few blocks away, one of which rides a bike to the Metra station for a reverse commute to the suburbs.

There is not a need for a parking lot here, plain and simple. Its only 17 spaces as well, so clearly Walgreen's doesn't believe the need is that great either. Without the curb cut, there would be at least 2 spaces on the street which could perhaps be tagged as a 15 minute loading zone for the sick old ladies you speak of, plus there could be a few spaces off the alley while pulling the store to the corner. The problem is there isn't any imagination to fit this store and many others into the urban fabric. We all know creativity exists within the company, but its only selectively applied.