CHICAGOLAND | Urban Development in the Burbs

[ChiTownWonder]

A while back Orland Park accepted bids from developers to redevelop the rest of "The Orland Park Triangle" (bounded by 143rd St, Lagrange Rd, and Southwest Highway). They received 6 bids, and selected two developers to create more developed plans and present them at a meeting on July 19th. The village is expected to choose a developer on August 7th. The two firms trying to develop the land are Chicago based Structured Development and Orland based Edward Realty.

(Initial call for proposals article)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburb...306-story.html

(Request for detailed plans article)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburb...510-story.html


Across from the Orland Park Triangle (NW corner of 143rd street and SW highway) is an acre plot of land where RH development is proposing a 64 unit 5 story apartment building called The Pointe (). The rendering provided by The Tribune is pretty nasty looking so I don't have high hopes for the aesthetics of this one, but it hopefully will bring visual and physical density to what the village is trying to make a downtown area. The article also mentions that the village is planing on re-configuring the intersection of 143rd and SW Highway which im hoping will become more pedestrian friendly. A 3 story development called Sertoma Center is also said to be approved for 14205 Union Ave which is just north of this site.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburb...620-story.html


The same developer as The Pointe is also proposing an apartment building in downtown Tinley, right across from the train station on Oak Park Ave. It
Is called the Boulevard at Central Station. It looks to be quite a large development at 160 units and 40,000 sqft of commercial space. However the
article covering The Pointe mentions that this development has faced plenty of obstacles over its lifeline.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-sta...809-story.html

[aaron38]

The new American Academy of Pediatrics building in Itasca (I-290 & Thorndale) has an interesting facade. The mullions are colored in such a way that as I drove past it gives a rainbow effect. Appropriate for pediatricians. Sure it’s just a suburban 5 story building, but it’s still cool. Didn’t notice it before today.

https://www.opus-group.com/Work/Amer...uarters-Office

[Swicago Swi Sox]

Orland's downtown development will struggle because the Southwest Service Metra is a joke. It is about a 60 minute train ride to/from Union Station. There are no expresses and there are only a few trains that go every morning. That train line has to give way to freight and is severely hampered by the Knot south of the city. There is also very little single family home stock near the 143rd street train station, so it's not like people from the "neighborhood" are going to walk or ride their bikes to the train and really liven up a downtown. They are trying to manufacture something that nearby burbs like La Grange, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Downer Grove, or Naperville (etc) have naturally, and its an uphill climb.

[ChiTownWonder]

Originally Posted by Swicago Swi Sox

Orland's downtown development will struggle because the Southwest Service Metra is a joke. It is about a 60 minute train ride to/from Union Station. There are no expresses and there are only a few trains that go every morning. That train line has to give way to freight and is severely hampered by the Knot south of the city. There is also very little single family home stock near the 143rd street train station, so it's not like people from the "neighborhood" are going to walk or ride their bikes to the train and really liven up a downtown. They are trying to manufacture something that nearby burbs like La Grange, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Downer Grove, or Naperville (etc) have naturally, and its an uphill climb.

I agree for the most part. whatever development is built there will have to be serviced by car, just because of the nature of the town. I'm worried that Orland's downtown might end up like Willow Springs attempt at a downtown by the train station. The only difference between the two is that Orland is much bigger, so hopefully it will have more success than Willow Springs.

[ardecila]

SWS is a mediocre train service, but not as bad as NCS or Heritage Corridor. That’s why Willow Springs development was a joke, there’s no real transit there.

The issues with the SWS service should get better once the 75th St rail project is finished, trains will bypass the congested tracks and move to LaSalle St Station, eventually Metra will run more of them.

Anyway, good to see that Orland Park is investing in this kind of development. Even if the result will just look and function like a Dallas apartment complex, it’s still a step up for Orland Park and will help them maintain a diversity of household types other than the nuclear family.

[KWillChicago]

As someone who lived in orland for a good chunk of my life I think the "downtown" aspect is a waste of time unless they build a massive entertainment/ bar district. Ive never heard anyone say " lets go to orland friday night". There was some talk about making a man made riverwalk type of deal years ago but thats never going to happen. This is a nice start but shopping and entertainment is 20 years out to even become some form of a mini-naperville.

[harryc]

June 13



June 14



Watching the station




June 19

[harryc]

June 7



June 12



June 19

[Fvn]

Albion Residential, Clark Construction Break Ground on Two Apartment Projects in Suburban Chicago

EVANSTON AND OAK PARK, ILL. — Albion Residential, along with general contractor Clark Construction, has broken ground on two apartment projects in suburban Chicago. Albion Evanston will include 268 apartment units with 6,800 square feet of retail space.

http://rebusinessonline.com/albion-r...urban-chicago/
(construction for Evanston begins in August)

[Suburban Shadow]

Well there really is no downtown Wheeling, but I saw this new development.

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/2018...in-this-summer


At least it is a start. The Wheeling Metra stop will no longer be in the middle of nowhere.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Suburban Shadow

Well there really is no downtown Wheeling, but I saw this new development.

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/2018...in-this-summer


At least it is a start. The Wheeling Metra stop will no longer be in the middle of nowhere.

Looks like shit. I hate how it's set far back from the corner with that "Village of Wheeling" sign and that stupid tree. Tachy crap. I can't stand the aesthetic form that suburbs strive for.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

I hate how it's set far back from the corner with that "Village of Wheeling" sign and that stupid tree.

Check.

Originally Posted by the urban politician

I can't stand the aesthetic form that suburbs strive for.

Check.

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Looks like shit.

Not so fast. While I generally agree that there is an aura of suck happening here (this is Wheeling, IL, USA)... I don't think it rises to shit level. Shit level is very specific, like a mini-strip mall set back from the streetwall on Milw Ave with a parking lot out front, or well, anything with EIFS. While this has some flaws, I don't think it's bad, especially considering the context. If we're all holding out hope for Wheeling, IL, USA to urbanize, perhaps we need to set our sights on something more obtainable.

[aaron38]

A lot of time in the burbs you have to look at the right of way on the roads. Dundee Road there is two lanes in each direction. Dundee is IL Highway 68. I'm willing to bet IDOT has right of way for 3 lanes each direction, plus extra turn lanes. Then there's the sidewalks.
It's the same way in burbs with Metra running through. Developments don't get to build right up to the tracks. They can only build up to the right of way, and that still gets padded.

[left of center]

Man that thing is fugly, but at least its a start at densifying an otherwise unremarkable burb full of strip malls and low density tract housing. Its crappy TOD, but its TOD nonetheless. Metra can use all the passengers it can get.

[harryc]

June 20

Foundation work


June 28

Nicer walkway than before the construction


July 13

Putting up the tower crane






July 17

[harryc]

June 27



July 7



July 16




July 17

[llamaorama]

As an outsider not from the area, I get the feeling that the outer, sprawly Chicago suburbs like Schaumberg sort of stopped growing in the late 1990s-early 2000's and have been stagnant or in decline since. All the action is in the city center, neighborhoods, and some urban 'suburbs' like Oak Park and Evanston.

I wonder if this will have an effect if/when the region gets out of its slump and starts seeing net population growth again. The primacy of the core is now unquestionable and it stands to take a big share of all gains.

[ardecila]

^ Yeah it's a buyer's market in many outer suburbs for sure. The growth machine kind of sputtered out during the recession in the collar counties. It's not completely dead, still a few subdivisions going up here and there but certainly not the rapid Sunbelt-esque pace of construction that we saw before the recession.

Still as this thread indicates, towns like Elmhurst, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, etc are all seeing new projects in their downtowns. Heck, my hometown of Barrington just completed its first new downtown apartment building in decades. Naperville is gearing up a large-scale redevelopment of the underused area around its downtown-adjacent train station. Even Wheeling is trying to get in on the TOD action. Unfortunately the tiny size of most Chicago suburbs means these projects get micromanaged by politicians and planners rather than just approved as-of-right. It speaks to the strength of the rental apartment market right now that developers are willing to jump through the hoops that all these suburbs have put up.

[aaron38]

There was a tremendous boom in the Metra burbs from 1998 to 2007. All the low hanging fruit, all the big parking lots, burned out strip malls, crumbling buildings, all of that went. Those towns experienced a tremendous growth of condos, townhomes and apartments. For the most part the big empty blocks are gone and what's left is smaller scale infill. As ardecila said above, that infill is happening. But it's not going to be the percentage growth it was before. It just can't be.
The burbs are always going to be a sea of single family housing (lots of tear down rebuilds BTW) with a tiny knot of mixed use buildings around the Metra stations. Burbs that don't have Metra won't even get the condos, aside from scattered senior housing or low income apartment blocks along major arterials.

[kolchak]

From yesterday:

Centrum Evanston open for business -




and a quick pic I took of the new bigger Fountain Square - open and almost finished