CHICAGO | General Developments

[BVictor1]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...18-column.html

Chicago's latest development plan is promising but half-cooked

Blair Kamin Contact Reporter
Cityscapes
March 21, 2016

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, famous for rhymes like "Down with dope, up with hope," might label it "Take from the greedy, give to the needy."

I refer to a promising but half-cooked proposal floated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel that calls for charging developers more for the right to pack extra square footage into downtown buildings and using that money for projects in economically depressed neighborhoods. As if to make up for the higher costs, the plan would expand the downtown area, opening new territory where developers could build mega-skyscrapers.

In concept, the proposal represents a smart way to close the "tale of two cities" gap between Chicago's booming, ever-more-glamorous downtown and its desolate, violence-plagued neighborhoods. But there are lots of potential pitfalls. An invasion of towers would destroy the cohesive character of close-to-downtown neighborhoods like Chinatown. It also could push parts of the city's already strained transit infrastructure to the breaking point. As always, God (or the devil) will be in the details.

For decades, Chicago and other cities have offered developers an economic incentive, or bonus, to provide amenities like outdoor plazas that aimed to enliven the streetscape and benefit the public. In exchange, the developers were permitted to add profitable square footage to their high-rises, in some cases transforming them into the peaks of Chicago's man-made mountain range.

[ardecila]

As usual, BK with the hyperbole. The Willis Tower in Chinatown?

It is odd that the zoning map includes one side of the traditional Wentworth strip in Chinatown, but not the other... I think the planners meant to stop it at the feeder ramp or Federal, but the Tribune bungled it.

Anyway, there are different classifications of downtown zoning. The West Loop hasn't become a forest of towers, but a fairly pleasant neighborhood of midrises. I'd love to see Cabrini and the Milwaukee corridor developed the same way. Downtown zoning districts offer developers more flexibility, including the option to build TOD densities without special permission, parking maximums for office/commercial, and zero setbacks.


curbed

[the urban politician]

Blair Kamin has just become a token NIMBY. I think he's just bored

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by ardecila

As usual, BK with the hyperbole. The Willis Tower in Chinatown? :eyeroll:

Yeah, I didn't realize my eyes could actually rotate quite that far upward. What an awful column that was........

[pilsenarch]

I'm convinced every reporter at the Trib or SunTimes has been told to always slant their stories toward a populist bent... it generates more clicks.

Clearly this is what Kamin is doing with his stupidly ignorant and superficial take on urban planning.

[XIII]

Originally Posted by bcp

dollars to donuts, i'd bet Chinatown heavies *wanted* to be in the expanded district...a series of taller, thinner, residential towers would look great around that area on vacant land.

i don't quite understand the notch to the east of milwaukee that has been left out of this...especially along the river there are some big infill sites.

The land west of the river was likely omitted to force the Tribune Freedom Center development into the old approval processes.

[Tom Servo]

Guys, I've been saying it for years: Blair Kamin is a hack, wanna-be Paul Goldberger. He sucks. Not news.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by bcp

i don't quite understand the notch to the east of milwaukee that has been left out of this...especially along the river there are some big infill sites.

Most of that is the North Branch Planned Manufacturing District, and those are supposed to be sacred and untouchable. Allowing a PMD to be rezoned is an entirely different planning battle... it makes sense not to confuse the two. If/when that PMD is broken, I assume the area in question will also get downtown zoning.

The Tribune site north of Chicago/east of Halsted is zoned for manufacturing, but technically it is outside the boundaries of the PMD. Even so, it can't be rezoned to a downtown district without an actual change to the text of the zoning code, far more difficult than just a reclassification.

The triangle between Kinzie/Ogden/Kennedy is another hole, but most of that area is the Kinzie Corridor PMD and the part north of Hubbard is actually a fairly cohesive neighborhood.

[spyguy]

RA Sushi on State - probable teardown:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...sushi-for-sale

Gold Coast building for sale as redevelopment
By Ryan Ori

The longtime owners of a small Gold Coast building are putting it up for sale, believing developers will pay $15 million or more for the right to replace it with a taller structure.

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Also assuming that the facade of the House of Kahn building on Walton is a goner:https://goo.gl/maps/q6qcUyK7yUt

[PKDickman]

Originally Posted by spyguy

The longtime owners of a small Gold Coast building are putting it up for sale, believing developers will pay $15 million or more for the right to replace it with a taller structure.

Ya, good luck with that guys. That's only $350 a buildable foot.

[ChiHi]

For the lot at 65 E Banks on LSD, has that lot always been zoned for such a small building or did the neighborhood fight to have it zoned down? Seems crazy that there will only be one building less that 30+ stories on that row. (Other than the surgeons buildings).

[spyguy]

Originally Posted by spyguy

450 N Morgan - retail/office

Better renderings:

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Better renderings:

You've one-upped yourself, congrats

Btw, nice project.

[the urban politician]

^ Meh, the devil is in the details. This could end up looking very cheap and shitty

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Better renderings:

This needs to be the norm. Not this Schaumburg shit:



wibiti.com

addisonandclark.com

44thward.org


It's so maddening see quality development amid all this utter shit.

[Ryanrule]

All the better for us to demolish.

[maru2501]

all of that stuff looks like LA

[marothisu]

1330 Fulton Market (Fulton West) was issued a building permit yesterday:

http://www.sterlingbay.com/portfolio...ty/fulton-west

"ERECT A 9 STORY OFFICE BUILDING WITH 1ST FLOOR RETAIL SPACE INCLUDING MECHANICAL PENTHOUSE AND ASSOCIATED SITE WORK & COURTYARD AS PER PLANS. REFER TO PERMIT #929677 FOR ALTERATIONS TO AN EXISTING STRUCTURE. (DIRECT DEVELOPER SERVICES PROGRAM)""

[Steely Dan]

i moved the population discussion to the chicago economics thread.

it seems that's a more appropriate place:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=144988

[spyguy]

Originally Posted by marothisu

1330 Fulton Market (Fulton West) was issued a building permit yesterday:

http://www.sterlingbay.com/portfolio...ty/fulton-west

"ERECT A 9 STORY OFFICE BUILDING WITH 1ST FLOOR RETAIL SPACE INCLUDING MECHANICAL PENTHOUSE AND ASSOCIATED SITE WORK & COURTYARD AS PER PLANS. REFER TO PERMIT #929677 FOR ALTERATIONS TO AN EXISTING STRUCTURE. (DIRECT DEVELOPER SERVICES PROGRAM)""

Good news. It'll be nice to see something done with the current eyesore.

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Other Fulton Market developments

-920 W Fulton is being shopped around for retail/office

Thor has invested heavily in this area for a number of retail/office rehab projects , including:
942 W Fulton

905 W Fulton

226 N Peoria

222 N Peoria

820 W Fulton