CHICAGO | General Developments

[sentinel]

Some folks in the forum weren't too crazy about the design, but I like it and think the end result came out quite nice, and has a nice amount of pizzazz:






(James Steinkamp Photography)

https://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/...r-new-theater/

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by Handro

Full building permit for this building was issued yesterday, a prominent parking lot bites the dust:

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/07/con...an-square.html

finally!

I live about one block from this building

[left of center]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

I've really been surprised by the residential development in this area over the past few years. Yes it's technically between Lincoln Park and Bucktown, but man it's not a very pleasing or pedestrian area. Most if not all of the buildings that are not residential are totally auto-orientated and if people are able, they drive super high speeds...

Yeah, agreed. Hopefully by continuing to add more residential and densifying the Clybourn corridor, we will see new commercial developments follow suit with more pedestrian friendly formats. Eventually we might even see the existing big box stores moving the parking lots to the rear or roof of the properties as they redevelop/remodel over time.

Optimism, or naivety?

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Handro

Full building permit for this building was issued yesterday, a prominent parking lot bites the dust:

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/07/con...an-square.html

Awesome! That abandoned bank property has been an eyesore on Western for *years*.

That whole area along the Western blue line stop has seen a total transformation in the 4 years I have been living in the neighborhood, especially the few blocks to the south of the station near the 606, and Milwaukee Ave in either direction from Western.

If the rumors of the redevelopment of the block where Lazo's Taco's comes to fruition, then that stretch of Western will be unrecognizable in a few years!

Now if we could only do something about that damn McDonalds...

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

I've really been surprised by the residential development in this area over the past few years. Yes it's technically between Lincoln Park and Bucktown, but man it's not a very pleasing or pedestrian area. Most if not all of the buildings that are not residential are totally auto-orientated and if people are able, they drive super high speeds...

I’ve been surprised by it all too. Just not a corridor I’d expect a lot of development, but it’s been happening the last few years. I actually like biking on Elston. Admittedly the traffic level is sort of at that perfect spot. Fast where things are kept moving and you can coast on a bike alongside it. Alot of the pedestrian streets are chaotic for biking. I always try to take Elston for safety reasons. Clybourn too. This is all despite them being auto oriented.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Handro

Full building permit for this building was issued yesterday, a prominent parking lot bites the dust:

https://chicagoyimby.com/2021/07/con...an-square.html

AWESOME!

i love the smell of surface parking lots biting the dust in the morning.

but i love it doubly so when those lots are at super-prominent intersections like western/armitage!

Originally Posted by left of center

Now if we could only do something about that damn McDonalds...

x100 for every other neighborhood in the city with a a stupid fucking suburban-style McDs stinking up the area.

[Chi-Sky21]

McDonalds are gonna McDonalds. I don't mind some places like that. THIS one though is a travesty because it is right next to the L. Should be something denser there.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

I don't mind some places like that.

I do.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

I do.

Same.


I understand that McDonald's is always going to prefer to have drive-thru locations, but if they want to build in or near the central area of the city, especially an intersection that has transit access and that functions as a center of a neighborhood, they are going to have to do better. They are clearly capable of doing so. Look at their location in Wrigleyville, or at their corporate HQ in Fulton Market. Or even any of their Loop locations.

[the urban politician]

It really takes enormous amounts of will, money, and power before McDonalds will stop doing its thing.

It took the billionaire Ricketts family to get them to allow the redevelopment of their land across from Wrigley

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Agreed, this intersection has really densified with several TODs going up and the Margie's building being renovated after years of near-abandonment. And the density stretches south down Western too all the way to North Ave. It's almost starting to feel like Queens or Brooklyn scale.

The scale in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Greenpoint, etc) is a lot bigger but it does have that feel on a smaller level for sure. And actually funny enough, the racial makeup of Wicker Park in the 2020 census is nearly identical to that of Greenpoint. Pretty funny. If there was about 20X the amount of new medium to large sized buildings in Logan Square and Wicker Park then you'd be talking about what went up in those areas of Brooklyn in the last 10+ years.

[ardecila]

I dunno, this isn't too far off from the scale of Western Ave infill:
https://goo.gl/maps/A4nEn5nrjt3WiHyXA
https://goo.gl/maps/xoHTpTNby1r5sKrz9
https://goo.gl/maps/eeHB4vVXQjDXXarm7

Compare to:
https://goo.gl/maps/qeSnQH54gdFr9RWA7
https://goo.gl/maps/oxjDf3MA7Z3MLnpL6

Of course in Williamsburg/Astoria/Flushing this goes on for blocks, not just a single corridor. No doubt the population density is much higher.

[west-town-brad]

I find it interesting the level of development on Western Ave. south of Milwaukee versus north of Milwaukee. it mostly just stops when you cross over.

I think it must have to do with the size of lots available... there were many large autodealer lots south of milwaukee ave that have been redeveloped, but when you go north the vacant lots are mostly 25 feet wide. this must limit opportunities when it's a commercial street.

aside from lazos who has built up their holdings one by one over 40 years and is now trying to cash them out as one, which they should.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The scale in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Greenpoint, etc) is a lot bigger but it does have that feel on a smaller level for sure. And actually funny enough, the racial makeup of Wicker Park in the 2020 census is nearly identical to that of Greenpoint. Pretty funny. If there was about 20X the amount of new medium to large sized buildings in Logan Square and Wicker Park then you'd be talking about what went up in those areas of Brooklyn in the last 10+ years.

Chicago really has nothing on a large scale that compare to Brooklyn. Brooklyn is like Manhattan before the skyscraper was invented.

Queens is a much better analogy for much of Chicago on a large scale, at least in regards to built environment. And even then Queens is denser.

It’s okay though, Chicago. We don’t have to keep comparing to New York. I hope a time comes when Chicago charts it’s own path and stops bothering about what New York is all about.

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Chicago really has nothing on a large scale that compare to Brooklyn. Brooklyn is like Manhattan before the skyscraper was invented.

Queens is a much better analogy for much of Chicago on a large scale, at least in regards to built environment. And even then Queens is denser.

It’s okay though, Chicago. We don’t have to keep comparing to New York. I hope a time comes when Chicago charts it’s own path and stops bothering about what New York is all about.

chicago.... it's it's own thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS00xWnqwvI

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by left of center

If the rumors of the redevelopment of the block where Lazo's Taco's comes to fruition, then that stretch of Western will be unrecognizable in a few years!

The end for Arturo's? Such is progress but that's sad - so many memories. The area is def unrecognizable compared to when I lived there eons ago in the 90s.

[marothisu]

I was just making a comment about new development. Nothing else. The types of buildings and even a little of how they look for new development in areas like Logan Square is similar to those you'll see in places like Greenpoint or Williamsburg. My comment was merely that the amount of new development in those areas is like 20X greater than the new development in Logan Square. But those parts of Brooklyn had a multiple year head start. It'll be interesting to check back in like 2027 or 2028 and see how many more medium to large new buildings went up in Logan Square and areas around there.

[ardecila]

I'm not expecting much. The NIMBYism is too strong and left-wing folks have scapegoated TODs for all the sins of gentrification - even though they are making the problem better, not worse.

Ald Rosa has essentially shut down the growth of TODs in Logan Square and Waguespack/La Spata aren't much better in Bucktown/Wicker. They've allowed a few affordable TODs but there just aren't enough resources to build very many of those. The new ARO requirements have also definitely slowed the stream of new proposals significantly, at least outside of downtown where the market rents can justify a 20% set-aside.

Case in point: the old CVS store on Milwaukee/Maplewood is a huge site and now it's being eyed for a single-story, suburban grocery store. 8 years ago that would have been a prime TOD site - and that could have had a grocery store built inside it, like the Aldi at Leavitt/Milwaukee. Now we're likely gonna have a suburban eyesore there for another generation at least.

[marothisu]

Brinshore is proposing to build a new 6 story building with 73 units for elderly housing at 827 W Wilson. This is currently trying a surface lot a few blocks east of the Wilson red line stop.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

I find it interesting the level of development on Western Ave. south of Milwaukee versus north of Milwaukee. it mostly just stops when you cross over.

I think it must have to do with the size of lots available... there were many large autodealer lots south of milwaukee ave that have been redeveloped, but when you go north the vacant lots are mostly 25 feet wide. this must limit opportunities when it's a commercial street.

aside from lazos who has built up their holdings one by one over 40 years and is now trying to cash them out as one, which they should.

The 606 probably also played a role as well, gravitating development south from the Western blue line stop. With all the low hanging fruit gone now after all the old car dealers/empty lots on that stretch of Western having been developed, we should start seeing more infill north of the CTA station on Western. As you have mentioned, the developable lots are a lot smaller, so I would imagine we wont be seeing many "megadevelopments" like The Trailhead up there.