CHICAGO | General Developments

[XIII]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

And retail strip centers.

Screw parks and strip centers, they take too much room from our roads.

Chicago should be wall-to-wall 6 lane highways. Enough of this "tree-lined-street with sidewalks" BS. We should be pushing to go full-on "Texas by the lake".

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Screw em both...we need more parking lots!

Originally Posted by Vlajos

And retail strip centers.

Originally Posted by XIII

Screw parks and strip centers, they take too much room from our roads.

Chicago should be wall-to-wall 6 lane highways. Enough of this "tree-lined-street with sidewalks" BS. We should be pushing to go full-on "Texas by the lake".

EXACTLY, who wants to walk anywhere anyways!

[prelude91]

Anybody know if there is something going on at the surface lot on the SW corner of State and Goethe? I noticed the parking lot has been shut down the past couple of weeks. Hopefully the owner, finally decided to sell!

[ChiPsy]

Originally Posted by prelude91

Anybody know if there is something going on at the surface lot on the SW corner of State and Goethe? I noticed the parking lot has been shut down the past couple of weeks. Hopefully the owner, finally decided to sell!

I happened to walk by when he was cleaning up the lot, and it doesn't sound like anything's in the pipeline. He apparently got frustrated by too many complaints from neighbors about idling buses, etc., and decided to close his shop (expensive parking) and leave -- I think he's hoping to sell to someone who'll develop the property, but that'll no doubt run into spectacular community resistance.

I too was hoping we were about to see that hole in the neighborhood fabric finally fixed, but no dice yet. Given his previous brainstorms for the 3-arts building one block west, maybe Brandon Reilly will propose a cemetery there...

[LouisVanDerWright]

Speaking of Logan Square, did anyone else see this the other day, the latest proposal to completely rework the square and make it a proper traffic circle:



From Curbed:

http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...anges.php#more

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

And retail strip centers.

I prefer my strippers wholesale.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by emathias

I prefer my strippers wholesale.

Nice!

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

$1000 for a studio here is really ridiculous. There is no incentive to live here at that price... Also - the micro-apartment "trend" is also BS. No one really wants to live in a small cramped space.

The west side was built as family (2+ BR) housing, and so generally has a shortage of small apartments. It doesn't have the studio and 1-BR units that were widely built in areas like Uptown or Lakeview for the then-new phenomenon of single people living alone in the 1920s and 1950s. This map's from one month of data, but shows that the north side has a much sharper price premium for 2-BR apartments than the west side -- evidence that there's a relative surplus of 2-BRs west of Ashland:
http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...in-chicago.php

Micro-units are cheaper than comparable *new* studio units. In many cases, the buildings themselves come with more amenities, or offer more flexible lease terms, etc.; the price off the bat isn't the only consideration.

Not sure whether anyone's told the Circle-The-Square folks that the bus turnaround's going to be developed, that buses have really wide turning radii, or that #56 bus riders might want to transfer to the Blue Line.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Not sure whether anyone's told the Circle-The-Square folks that the bus turnaround's going to be developed, that buses have really wide turning radii, or that #56 bus riders might want to transfer to the Blue Line.

It's obviously kind of an unrefined proposal right now, but why can't the #56 riders transfer to the Blue Line? It doesn't need to occur in the bus plaza; you'd just have a curbside stop where the map shows a kiss & ride.

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by Hayward

This building should be renting $750 / apartment. There's simply too many cheap apartments in the area. Quite a few of them rehabbed. But you never know. Some people rent apartments without looking.

Not to beat a dead horse, or to focus on you in particular Hayward, but I don't understand the rationale behind the ongoing pricing argument. The article on DNAinfo is saturated with the exact same kind of comments about the proposed rent amounts being too high, and "you would have to be crazy to pay that amount".

This property would be treated like every other rental property in the history of mankind... if someone comes along and thinks the rent is too high for the apartment, or too high for their budget, they will pass and look elsewhere. If they feel the rent is appropriate, and fits their budgetary and physical needs, they will rent it. So what is the big deal exactly? If the units cant rent for $1000/mo, then the landlord will have to lower rent... if they can rent for $1000/mo then there is obviously a demand, and the product will help supply that demand.

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Speaking of Logan Square, did anyone else see this the other day, the latest proposal to completely rework the square and make it a proper traffic circle:

Why is the traffic circle so long in the east-west dimension? You could lop off 30% from the eastern portion and make it a tighter traffic circle. Otherwise cars and buses are just burning fuel unnecessarily, especially as drivers' feet are bouncing from brake to accelerator every half-second.

Is the idea just to make the island park larger? That park really doesn't get much usage, and that is unlikely to change, so it would be smarter to focus on improving pedestrian experiences outside the perimeter, as they have done.

Also, the jog in Kedzie seems unnecessary and another time and gasoline (and cycle-pedal) waste.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Why is the traffic circle so long in the east-west dimension? You could lop off 30% from the eastern portion and make it a tighter traffic circle. Otherwise cars and buses are just burning fuel unnecessarily, especially as drivers' feet are bouncing from brake to accelerator every half-second.

The centerline of Milwaukee doesn't pass through the Logan Monument.

Also, the jog in Kedzie seems unnecessary and another time and gasoline (and cycle-pedal) waste.

Yeah, I thought it was weird too. Kedzie should be reduced back to its original footprint (roughly the eastern half of what exists currently) but the jog is just weird.

[denizen467]

^ What are you saying about the centerline - can't there be some more ambitious redrawing that is less beholden to certain geometric ideals? The really long trip around this circle will encourage drivers to absolutely floor it as they try to get through the area.

[Chi-Sky21]

Loyola putting Rodgers Park on a road diet! Love this, if they can do it to
Winthrop also, it will really make the south side of Sheridan feel more like part of the campus.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140...e-walking-path

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Is the idea just to make the island park larger? That park really doesn't get much usage, and that is unlikely to change, so it would be smarter to focus on improving pedestrian experiences outside the perimeter, as they have done.

Also, the jog in Kedzie seems unnecessary and another time and gasoline (and cycle-pedal) waste.

The bolded above could not be more wrong. Logan Square is possibly one of the most intensely used parks of it's size in the city. I was just over there the weekend before last, when it was really nice, and the entire square was covered with picnicking couples on the lawn and hipsters with their fixies congregating at the Centennial Monument. There must have been at least 100 people in the Square itself. They also have the weekly farmers market on the Bolevard just to the East which could potentially be moved to the Square itself if Milwaukee was cut out. That event draws hundreds of people every time and many of them end up in the Square enjoying whatever treats they bought while shopping for produce. I don't think I've ever driven by the Square and NOT seen at least half a dozen people in it except in the dead of winter or during a downpour.

I do agree with you on the Kedzie jog. It defeats the entire point of having a traffic circle to go and create a new traffic light further up the street. Kedzie should empty into the circle just like all the other streets will. This will be a long traffic circle, but comparably sized to a few of the larger ones I've seen in Europe.

[joeg1985]

Originally Posted by denizen467

Is the idea just to make the island park larger? That park really doesn't get much usage, and that is unlikely to change, so it would be smarter to focus on improving pedestrian experiences outside the perimeter, as they have done.

I disagree. I think that if this square can be transformed into one continuous park like this that many more people would use it. There are multiple tools at our disposal to prevent people from speeding around the circle. I think this would be a HUGE benefit to the neighborhood.

God speed!

[Jibba]

Access into the space near the monument was a barrier for some people, and I'm not sure how much that issue is improved with the new scheme. The new permeable pavement strips will demarcate the pedestrian crossings better visually, but they're not likely to help much unless they have a physical or signalized component that aids traffic calming.

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

I do agree with you on the Kedzie jog. It defeats the entire point of having a traffic circle to go and create a new traffic light further up the street. Kedzie should empty into the circle just like all the other streets will.

Wouldn't there be a conflict between Kedzie and Milwaukee if Kedzie didn't jog west? The southbound Kedzie lane would overlap with the northwest-bound Milwaukee lane, no?

[wierdaaron]

The Wells Wentworth connector is good news for the south loop, as it should create another major thoroughfare upon which to anchor new developments. There's still some vacant land around Wells that should start to flourish once it isn't a dead-end street anymore. The two lots on the river between Roosevelt and River City (one a parking lot and the other a grass field) have bothered me for a while. Also, the narrow parking lot at Wells and 9th was recently bought by someone who's probably feeling pretty lucky now. I think Roosevelt Collection might have been built with the option to build out some retail along Wells, too.

I'll be a little bummed if the only reason the city moved to eminent domain the Rezko lot was to build the road, though. I've been hoping they've got bigger plans for that massive piece of land. If not, I hope they break it up into smaller parcels before selling it rather than letting someone try a giant lifestyle center like Roosevelt Collection or New City.

If they're expecting heavy traffic through there, Wells might need to be widened and given some signals between Polk and Harrison. It gets kind of tight there.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by wierdaaron

T I think Roosevelt Collection might have been built with the option to build out some retail along Wells, too.

RC was built with some retail along Wells at ground level, all of which is vacant.

It would be nice to see some of the adjacent parcels fill in and the river bridges at Taylor and Polk rebuilt. It would help the whole area feel less disconnected.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Jibba

Access into the space near the monument was a barrier for some people, and I'm not sure how much that issue is improved with the new scheme. The new permeable pavement strips will demarcate the pedestrian crossings better visually, but they're not likely to help much unless they have a physical or signalized component that aids traffic calming.



Wouldn't there be a conflict between Kedzie and Milwaukee if Kedzie didn't jog west? The southbound Kedzie lane would overlap with the northwest-bound Milwaukee lane, no?

Anyway to use the Blue Line mezzanine to access the center of the island under the roadway?