CHICAGO | General Developments

[the urban politician]

^ If there is ever a site that would make for a good flatiron building, it would be the lot on the SE corner of that intersection.

That little strip mall with the Checks Cashed and Payless Shoes is ripe for redevelopment, and I believe it is being sold as well which is very promising. I wonder if a potential buyer would consider a TOD project for that site as well.

[UPChicago]

^Never really considered the SE corner for a flatiron building but I actually think you are right, that would be a better location, still the design for the NE corner needs serious revision and better massing.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

Don't people move to cities because of the charming old neighborhoods. Who ever wants to living in a place that looks like an industrial park near O'hare?

That is one of many reasons why people move to cities, but not all. There are people who are moving to the West Loop in the industrial area. Do you find that to be charming? No. In fact I was eating in the West Loop on Sunday and the table next to me were tourists from CA, talking about how they would move to Fulton Market area because industrial-ness appealed to them as a place to live.

[Jibba]

830 N Milwaukee

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'll give it a pass. From the real estate world, midrises are sort of a new thing in Chicago only recently enabled by TOD. Previously you could really only erect them on the fringes of downtown, and the results were usually less than spectacular (see the West Loop). Outside of downtown, you would have to do them in a PD, and the agony of that process meant that developers would usually seek a legitimate highrise.

Now that the zoning code allows them on a wider range of sites, I hope to see more architects grappling with and solving these design problems.

^ Actually, this is a very good point.

I would go so far as to say that we are seeing neighborhood development on an increased scale that Chicago may not have seen since the prewar era. Hopefully we can witness large amounts of truly dense, midrise construction outside of downtown.

Of course, it would be nice to see projects of this sort all over, but TOD for now will have to do.

I see us in the same "early" stage of the design "growth curve" that developers were in downtown around 20 years ago, when they were building lots and lots of highrise residential towers with very ugly, awkward, clunky parking podia. Sure, there are still some clunkers out there, but for sure we have seen an evolution in the right direction as to integrating parking into many of the more recently constructed buildings.

Same for these parking-lite midrises. There will be a learning curve.

[Via Chicago]

We have this little thing called pencil and paper. You can draw a design with them, and then crumple it up and throw it in the garbage bin if it dosent look good. Then you can try again. And again. If its still bad, maybe you should crumple up your architecture diploma too. You dont actually need to build the thing to find out if its going to look like garbage...we can conclusively say its going to. In fact, probably worse given the starting point.

Theres nothing new about mid rise design. This isnt somehow cutting edge. What works and what dosent work is pretty well established. There are general design principles that humans innately find pleasing. Facades and building techniques may change, but general proportions and street level touches for something as simple as a rectangle box really shouldnt. We dont need to redesign forks every 10 years. As was mentioned upthread, they could have just as easily created a carbon copy of one of the buildings down the block and theyd already be ahead of where theyre at now. This is an attempt to be trendy and modern and its falling flat on its face.

[brian_b]

I received a zoning notice in the mail today. A developer is asking for a special use to allow them to build 12 town houses at the corner of Prairie and Cullerton St. Current zoning is DX-3. This is disappointing. It is exactly 1 block from the new McCormick Place hotel and arena and they are trying to avoid the required ground floor retail space. WTF?

[pilsenarch]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

We have this little thing called pencil and paper. You can draw a design with them, and then crumple it up and throw it in the garbage bin if it dosent look good. Then you can try again. And again. If its still bad, maybe you should crumple up your architecture diploma too. You dont actually need to build the thing to find out if its going to look like garbage...we can conclusively say its going to. In fact, probably worse given the starting point.

Theres nothing new about mid rise design. This isnt somehow cutting edge. What works and what dosent work is pretty well established. There are general design principles that humans innately find pleasing. Facades and building techniques may change, but general proportions and street level touches for something as simple as a rectangle box really shouldnt. We dont need to redesign forks every 10 years. As was mentioned upthread, they could have just as easily created a carbon copy of one of the buildings down the block and theyd already be ahead of where theyre at now. This is an attempt to be trendy and modern and its falling flat on its face.

I appreciate the hate for this particular proposal, but as you all must be aware of, there are far worse mid-rise projects currently under construction throughout the city... I'm not sure who the architects are, but you all know the schlock: kinda blocky brick buildings, 3-4 stories, with off the rack windows stuck in the brick (anyone drive down Ashland lately?)... I assume the developer/builder/architect are all the same...

my point is, hate might be better directed to begin to change the process of who grows up to develop these properties... maybe our architecture schools should be spending as much time on business/property development as the few good ones spend on design...

[SolarWind]

June 28, 2016

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Agreed.

I agree the design is crappy, but if it spurs more carless people into the area and gentrifiers move into Uptown, it's a winner. In fact, more money will go into rehabbing older Uptown buildings. This is what the anti-gentrifying anti-developer whiners don't seem to understand: if you want the neighborhood's building stock to be preserved, you MUST have an infusion of cash and lender's confidence. Otherwise, say hello to more strip malls, gas stations, McDonald's, auto repair shops, and street corner beggars.

Logan Square is a prime example of what needs to happen in many, many Chicago neighborhoods.

This is just sheer ignorance. This kind of careless attitude is exactly what is wrong with Chicago today: outsiders ruining strong communities with their suburban-transplant bullshit. Logan Square has already been ruined by outsider development, Avondale is next, and Pilsen is nearly as bad. People with your boarderline racist attitudes need to stay the hell out of Chicago. Who are you to say a community needs "improvement"? Uptown is a vibrant and colorful community, and it doesn't need these fucking bullshit condo towers destroying it and displacing its residents.

I really can't stand outsider arrogance like this.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

This is just sheer ignorance. This kind of careless attitude is exactly what is wrong with Chicago today: outsiders ruining strong communities with their suburban-transplant bullshit. Logan Square has already been ruined by outsider development, Avondale is next, and Pilsen is nearly as bad. People with your boarderline racist attitudes need to stay the hell out of Chicago. Who are you to say a community needs "improvement"? Uptown is a vibrant and colorful community, and it doesn't need these fucking bullshit condo towers destroying it and displacing its residents.

I really can't stand outsider arrogance like this.

You just don't understand economics, that's all. It's not my job to teach it to you

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

This is just sheer ignorance. This kind of careless attitude is exactly what is wrong with Chicago today: outsiders ruining strong communities with their suburban-transplant bullshit. Logan Square has already been ruined by outsider development, Avondale is next, and Pilsen is nearly as bad. People with your boarderline racist attitudes need to stay the hell out of Chicago. Who are you to say a community needs "improvement"? Uptown is a vibrant and colorful community, and it doesn't need these fucking bullshit condo towers destroying it and displacing its residents.

I really can't stand outsider arrogance like this.

There's a very unsubtle imperfection in everything you say.

[UPChicago]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

You just don't understand economics, that's all. It's not my job to teach it to you

You should consider revising your username.

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by pilsenarch

I appreciate the hate for this particular proposal, but as you all must be aware of, there are far worse mid-rise projects currently under construction throughout the city... I'm not sure who the architects are, but you all know the schlock: kinda blocky brick buildings, 3-4 stories, with off the rack windows stuck in the brick (anyone drive down Ashland lately?)... I assume the developer/builder/architect are all the same...

my point is, hate might be better directed to begin to change the process of who grows up to develop these properties... maybe our architecture schools should be spending as much time on business/property development as the few good ones spend on design...

oh i agree of both points. this one just happens to be in my neighborhood so i give more of a damn than usual.

[ardecila]

Honestly the "back" (east) side of the building is much nicer than the front. Kind of strange to do the two-face approach.

Plus those wood accents, if they are really wood, will weather to gray very quickly unless they are oiled and sealed every year (with a bosun's chair, I assume...). Unless they plan to use something artificial?

[petey2428]

Originally Posted by Jibba

830 N Milwaukee

Can't wait to see the cladding!

[Chi-Sky21]

Anybody been around Belmont lately? Wondering how that project is coming.

[Randomguy34]

First store opens at Englewood Square, soon home to Whole Foods

When the city approached DL3 Realty and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives about redeveloping 13 acres of vacant land in Englewood on the South Side, DL3’s Leon Walker thought about what the area looked like when he was growing up. His mother was raised there and attended Englewood High School. His parents, both educators, had operated early education schools across the South Side, and as a child, he often visited with them the Englewood Mall at 63rd and Halsted.
...
The $20 million project — watched nationally since Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced in fall 2013 that he had lured an upscale grocer to a community known more for intractable gang crime and poverty — is part of Emanuel’s overall revitalization plan for Englewood.
...
Whole Foods is on target to open on Sept. 28. Its neighbors include Starbucks and Chipotle. Fully leased this month, the first of 10 stores, Villa, a footwear and apparel retailer, opens Friday
...
Tenants include PNC Bank, Metro PCS, Wing Stop, Dress Code, Oak Street Health Center, and the requisite nail shop. That diversity wasn’t easy, particularly with brands that typically choose sites only in upscale neighborhoods.

“To attract Starbucks and Chipotle, I put together in-depth maps with census tract-level data — not just average household income, because that’s a cursory look at the market. If you just look at that, you’ll say, ‘How will I make any money?’ ” Walker said. “I went census tract by census tract, putting together a table showing 2,000 households within a mile of 63rd and Halsted who make over $75,000 a year. Those people can buy a cup of coffee every day. They may be swamped by 20,000 households who live in poverty, but they’re there.”...

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/fir...e-whole-foods/

[prelude91]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Anybody been around Belmont lately? Wondering how that project is coming.

Not sure if you are referencing the project at Belmont/Clark, but here it is on the AM of 7/1. The massing looks great, they are starting to clad to clark side, I really like this one! Now, if MB Bank would leave and the drive thru lot and lot directly south of that great building could be developed, I would be happy.

[the urban politician]

^ Great perspective. Wow that adds a lot to the area. I actually wish it were going to stay blue, kind of a nice color