CHICAGO | General Developments

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

If a developer wants to build more parking spaces, nothing's stopping him. He can build 300 spaces for 50 apartments if he likes. I think developers should be allowed to build as many parking spaces as he thinks the market wants. Almost everyone here believes that.

Sorry, but I don't buy this notion that a majority of the urbanistas that follow these pages would be against mandated parking maximums......not for a second. I'm whole-heartedly in favor of low parking maximum levels, particularly in transit-proximate areas. I bet there's a whole horde with me as well. Developers should not be able to build absolutely as many parking spots as they want, due to the adverse externalities (too much completely unnecessary congestion, pollution, et al). This is like the ultimate test of whether you're a completely ideologically-driven free market fundamentalist that is perpetually intellectually trapped in a fairy tale rational market expectations model world, or are you open to sensible, practical real world solutions.....

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by aaron38

And that's in a very dense, very pedestrian friendly Metra oriented suburban core that does a good job balancing people and cars.

I think your view of "very dense" is rather inaccurate.

Palatine on the whole has a density of 5,000ppsm, and has maybe a dozen storefronts total in the only area of town that could be considered 'walkable'. As for being oriented around Metra, I see nothing here oriented around Metra except parking

Maybe your argument could hold water if you used Oak Park of Evanston, but each of those are in the 10,000ppsm range. Chicago neighborhoods that are comprised of nothing but walkups are already 20,000+ppsm, while traditionally dense neighborhoods along the lake are 30,000+ppsm.

[spyguy]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Not as cool but Chestnut Place (850 N State Street) across from State & Chestnut currently being built was purchased a few months ago by Golub. They are in the process of basically renovating the entire building into luxury units. This includes the lobby, business space where Go Roma was, etc.

If you stop by the lobby, you can see a few renderings of what the lobby is going to look like. Looks pretty nice - architects are Wright Heerema.

Updates to the street level as well it seems.

[Skyguy_7]

12/10/14

There are incredible views throughout the entire ribbon. Moreso than the rink at Millennium. It will certainly be an awesome experience for tourists and locals alike.




This hot chocolate stand doubles as a snow disposal station..






Skate rental lobby


Looking south


Multi-purpose rooms




Bonus coverage: HVAC unit serving the fieldhouse. Quality work right here

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Updates to the street level as well it seems.

^ I'd call that more than updates. Looks like they are significantly adding to their street level retail presence, correct me if I'm wrong.

[OrdoSeclorum]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Sorry, but I don't buy this notion that a majority of the urbanistas that follow these pages would be against mandated parking maximums......not for a second..

Shug. Maybe. I'm certainly for pedestrian designated zones and limits on curb cuts. Doesn't change the fact that persecution aaron38 perceives--regulations on parking maximums--essentially does not exist.

[aaron38]

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

I don't want to limit parking; I simply don't want parking that developers don't want to build and that residents don't want to use or pay for to be required by law.

Agreed, and I'm not asking for a minimum parking ratio either. Yes let the market decide. But I was responding to the comment that a 1:1 parking ratio was "absurd". I don't agree, and I don't think the market will either. If I'm wrong, great.
But access to the Blue Line is what lets people park their cars and not drive on a daily basis. It's what lets some units have zero cars, so that other units can have two if they need, or free up a space for visitors. Because living in the city and walking everywhere doesn't mean you don't still have in-laws in McHenry County, or a brother in Sheboygan.

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

Doesn't change the fact that persecution aaron38 perceives--regulations on parking maximums--essentially does not exist.

I didn't mean to imply that. I was referring mostly to the pundit class, not actual government regulations.

Originally Posted by untitledreality

Palatine on the whole has a density of 5,000ppsm, and has maybe a dozen storefronts total in the only area of town that could be considered 'walkable'. As for being oriented around Metra, I see nothing here oriented around Metra except parking

Not to go too far OT: Yes we still have surface lots. But since 2002, 14 new ~5 story condo buildings were built, all with underground parking. Plus a ton of row houses. All walking distance to Metra. And another full block of parking was going to bite the dust for a 5 story, first floor retail complex from Focus Development, before the recession killed it off. But more development will happen. Those surface lots just mean we have room to grow. Just like the West Loop.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ I'd call that more than updates. Looks like they are significantly adding to their street level retail presence, correct me if I'm wrong.

And I'd say they have no reason to be sorry for it, either ...

[wierdaaron]

Originally Posted by emathias

And I'd say they have no reason to be sorry for it, either ...

It's an apology for not having better street level presence before!

Here's the current state:



Not that bad tbh. Pretty aggressive upgrade, going to 2 floors of retail.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by aaron38

...
We've visited friends in Brooklyn, 4 of us drive in versus flying. And it's their one off street parking spot that let us do that. They don't have cars, and we don't drive our car once in the week we're there. But that one spot makes the trip possible.
That spot doesn't make traffic in Brooklyn worse, doesn't make it a bad place for people.
...

And, if you had to, you'd have been just as well-served to drive to some central parking center on the outer edges of the borough or in the industrial parts of Queens and then take a hired car or train into Brooklyn. Still cheaper than four plane or even four bus tickets, and only marginally less convenient than parking literally at your friends place. Parking doesn't have to be available for every unit in an area. Many of the uses you describe don't even need it to be available in the same neighborhood. There is certainly no reason to require it with the full force of the law.

[Via Chicago]

Finch's Plans Massive Brewery, Taproom on Chicago River

Finch's Beer Co. has plans to build a new brewery and tap room along the North Branch of the Chicago River in Lincoln Park.

The Chicago-based brewer announced the design and development of the brewery that is set to open in late 2016 or early 2017 along with riverwalk improvements and a beer-to-go growler and package store.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141...r-lincoln-park




pretty vague on the exact site but this looks awesome

[LouisVanDerWright]

Yesssss, I've always wanted more businesses to locate along the river and cater to boats. Think of how awesome the river could be if there were actual recreational points to travel to by boat? Combine that with a complete riverwalk network and you get

[hawainpanda]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Updates to the street level as well it seems.

cool i like it, I wished there was more curb space to accomadate more pedestrian traffic. I wonder if enterprise is going to leave permanently to make way for this new construction

[LouisVanDerWright]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Updates to the street level as well it seems.

WTF? There goes another piece of Chicago's architectural heritage. It's not Taj Mahal, but this little plaza and the building itself have a great design. It's a Weese who seems to be the architectural victim of the moment along with anyone else who ever dabbled in brutalism or monumental massing. I put this building in the same generation of extremely late Moderism that is slowly devolving into post modernism. I am not a fan of this wart they are planning to add to the base.

Seems we can't take one step forward (like the new tower across the street) without taking at least one, maybe two, steps backward. I was looking forward to the interaction of this plaza and the new building's arcade across the street. This was going to be a very unique public space with extreme density looming over it. Now it's just another street where there is retail just mashed up against the sidewalk.

[bcp]

^ yeah..if they just chamfered the main corner, like they did to the right, it would really make it more cohesive with what is above.

[wierdaaron]

Not huge news, but ever since Infinite Chicago (the restored Steger building on Jackson at Wabash) and now Old Colony, I've been really curious about this whole upscale student apartments concept and how it even makes sense.

After doing that piece on the Old Colony building restoration, I was in good enough graces with the parent company behind the student housing developments to be able to talk to their COO to have him explain it to me. I wrote up the gist of it here: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...nt-housing.php

They seem to be doing amazingly well with very fast growth. They mainly build their developments in college towns as close to campus as possible, but they don't affiliate with the schools at all. They compete against poorly-run and overpriced university owned dorms by having everything anybody could ever want in an apartment, priced just a little higher. Chicago is the first urban market they've entered, but there's so damn many schools downtown it makes sense to try out the concept here.

After I toured OCB I said here that it's a shame that building will be only for students, and maybe after a while they'll want to flip it to market rate residential. Turns out the company also has a market rate res portfolio, so they wouldn't even have to flip the building... if the market changes and student apartments doesn't work, they could change the business model to regular apartments in no time at all.

Also, the OCB property's website is up now, and on the gallery page they have some renders of the interiors, so you can see how they're handling the aesthetic with all the wood. http://arcatoldcolony.com/gallery/

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Golub sucks. I don't think they've produced/are producing anything of architectural merit.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Updates to the street level as well it seems.

Oh wow..that's quite a change to what's there already. Crazy but this could be really interesting for the area with all the other new changes nearby - if they could fill this up. However, I'm not happy about the space being eaten up - it was a nice little thing there. Too bad it wasn't very well utilized.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

WTF? There goes another piece of Chicago's architectural heritage. It's not Taj Mahal, but this little plaza and the building itself have a great design. It's a Weese who seems to be the architectural victim of the moment along with anyone else who ever dabbled in brutalism or monumental massing. I put this building in the same generation of extremely late Moderism that is slowly devolving into post modernism. I am not a fan of this wart they are planning to add to the base.

Seems we can't take one step forward (like the new tower across the street) without taking at least one, maybe two, steps backward. I was looking forward to the interaction of this plaza and the new building's arcade across the street. This was going to be a very unique public space with extreme density looming over it. Now it's just another street where there is retail just mashed up against the sidewalk.

If by Weese you mean Harry Weese, then this is not a Harry Weese building.

That being said, I'm not a fan of whatever I'm looking at either. I'm never a fan of these clumsy additions. Just tear the whole thing down and start over or leave it alone.

[HomrQT]

Originally Posted by hawainpanda

cool i like it, I wished there was more curb space to accomadate more pedestrian traffic. I wonder if enterprise is going to leave permanently to make way for this new construction

Sad to see the trees and flowers go.