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Originally Posted by thegoatman
Legitimate question, why doesn't Chicago pursue light rail? It's like the city thinks heavy rail or bust. light rail would be perfect for these mini corridors like lincoln yards, the 78, casino district, etc. It's far cheaper and would be quicker to develop, and is better than buses. LA does it well.
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The mode is irrelevant. Light rail is cheaper than heavy rail, but we can't afford to do either. As a region we don't have a good source of matching funds for federal grants. We just cobble stuff together ad-hoc for each project, so we aren't set up to pursue any major transit expansions like LA or Denver.
Getting the local match for RPM took years of work before the state authorized a transit TIF, and that only covers 1/3 of the project (the other 2/3 are still just a wisp of smoke). Next they are trying to get a similar TIF set up for the Red Line Extension, but since Roseland/Pullman/Altgeld have very low property values, they are setting up the TIF in South Loop and Bridgeport/Bronzeville instead, and then sending the money 9 miles to the south.
You can see how this kind of f*ckery is not a great way to get lots of transit projects built. All these mid-tier transit expansions like the North Branch Transitway will also remain as wisps of smoke forever until our region gets serious about funding transit expansion. That will take a big push from the mayor and the governor. Biden's infrastructure bill is sorta helpful to Chicago, but the Feds always want to stretch their money as far as possible, so they will prioritize those cities and states that put up a big local match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomguy34
Sterling Bay is proposing a 359 unit, 15 story, 168 foot building at 2031-2033 N Kingsbury St. Even though it's not the same PD as Lincoln Yards, posting here since it's immediately adjacent kinda like 2100 N Southport Ave.
App: https://chicago.legistar.com/Legisla...vanced&Search=
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Very interesting that they are doubling down on this strategy of building
just outside Lincoln Yards. I wonder why? Does the Lincoln Yards PD come with too many costly strings attached?
If that's the case, then what's the long term plan? Keep building midrises around Lincoln Yards until you generate demand, and then maybe SB can raise rents enough to build inside the PD itself? And what does that mean for the infrastructure buildout inside of Lincoln Yards? Is that just on hold indefinitely?
Also, this new building is a longboi. Reminds me of the Father and Son tower on North Ave with the one angled corner.