Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
^ Even if the Alderman has to approve, it doesn't mean that they have to have rounds and rounds of community meetings. The developer can just give the Alderman his campaign donation and, after a wink and nod, get his variance. God bless America
|
No City Council vote is needed to approve the density increase under the new TOD ordinance, just an Administrative Adjustment (granted by the Zoning Administrator) + letter of support from the alderman. That removes the process from public view, and more importantly, it greatly speeds up the timeline. A City Council zoning change can take several months even with the alderman's support. An administrative adjustment takes days. Essentially, this moves TOD development much closer to the "as-of-right" category.
Of course, some aldermen may still choose to seek community input before issuing the letter of support, but others may use the opportunity to simplify the process.
The parking reduction is available automatically as an Administrative Adjustment,
without the alderman's support.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
I'm still not a fan of the ground floor treatment, but this is some solid density.
And actually, sometimes it's good for new developments to not have ground floor retail so that existing businesses (or empty retail spaces) have a shot of being successful.
|
The twin towers DO have ground floor retail, but only at the north and south ends. The central 1/3 will be the notorious blank wall, but it will be recessed back from the sidewalk with landscaping and a plaza/seating area, and an amenity deck for the towers directly overlooking this area one story up.
I wonder if Intelligentsia will move from the Logan Theater down here, or open a second Logan Square location... Rob Buono was the CEO of Intelly for awhile and he already opened one at Ashland/Division.