CHICAGO | General Developments

[Flaccer05]

Originally Posted by ardecila

^ Dude, Lawrence is absolutely a TOD zone. The only part that falls outside of a TOD radius is by St Boniface cemetery. Even that gap in the middle at Leavitt (where 2150 sits) is actually in a TOD zone because any CTA entrance or exit counts as an origin point under the ordinance, and the Western stop has an exit to Lincoln.

Ah, stand corrected. Didn't realize most of the Lawrence stretch was included. Either way my point still stands. Nice to see the added density.

Hopefully Rahm can push the TOD extension for the auto sewer that is Ashland and Western before he departs.

[harryc]

Feb 5

[BonoboZill4]

^ so happy that stupid sports authority sign is off that building!

[Ned.B]

^^Definitely and mostly improved, but it also seems to have been done by a team with no aesthetic eye or sense of detailing. The way one of the piers got chopped off for the lobby entrance is visually unsettling when the building is looked at as a whole, and who's bright idea was it to have the facade lighting slicing across one of the most interesting details on the building? Isn't that the feature you would want to light up? Lastly, anodized storefronts with limestone?

[Chi-Sky21]

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[SteelMonkey]

From Block Club Chicago link today

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/02...brutal-beauty/

Some stunning shots at the end of the article - Courtesy of Barry Butler Photography

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by SteelMonkey

From Block Club Chicago link today

https://blockclubchicago.org/2019/02...brutal-beauty/

Some stunning shots at the end of the article - Courtesy of Barry Butler Photography

Truly captivating. Sad to see Vista Tower eclipse the view of John Hancock

[chicagodeckerdude]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Truly captivating. Sad to see Vista Tower eclipse the view of John Hancock

If you walk a few feet to the right from this spot the Hancock won't be covered anymore ;-)

[mark0]

Drove by 760 N. Ogden today and had to do a double take, the lovely white terracotta building with D'Agastino's Pizza in it had a large sign that said "for sale development opportunity'. Is this building being marketed as a potential tear down? Searched online and just found lease info.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Flaccer05

Ah, stand corrected. Didn't realize most of the Lawrence stretch was included. Either way my point still stands. Nice to see the added density.

Hopefully Rahm can push the TOD extension for the auto sewer that is Ashland and Western before he departs.

Well, the TOD helps but Ald. Pawar is also a rockstar when it comes to approving these thing over NIMBY objections. Out of all the aldermen he fully understands the need for dense, parking-lite infill to counter the population loss from deconversions and to sustain transit service. Of course, it helps that he’s also a good-government reformer who can’t be accused of doing favors for campaign donors.

Also, the bus TOD expansion is all set to pass. The only objection is from a bunch of entitled condo dwellers in Uptown, so that ward will be excluded from the Lake Shore Drive TOD corridor.

[pilsenarch]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

^^Definitely and mostly improved, but it also seems to have been done by a team with no aesthetic eye or sense of detailing. The way one of the piers got chopped off for the lobby entrance is visually unsettling when the building is looked at as a whole, and who's bright idea was it to have the facade lighting slicing across one of the most interesting details on the building? Isn't that the feature you would want to light up? Lastly, anodized storefronts with limestone?

Yes, I noticed these not-so-small travesties as well... I watched them cut down that pier and assumed it was either temporary or it was to install a large door because it was going to be leased to a car dealership.... HA! What an idiot I am... except not as much as an idiot that thought it was alright to cut off the pier and place the lighting where they did... obviously, there was no functional reason to do either...

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

Lastly, anodized storefronts with limestone?

Clear anodized can look quite good with Deco buildings. It’s a very Machine Age aesthetic. The steel windows from that period were often painted with an silvery aluminum paint to guard against corrosion, especially in and around airports (terminals, hangars, control towers and aircraft themselves). Farmers still use the stuff quite a bit on tanks, silos, fencing etc although we’ve developed better coating technology now that allows for more colors in architectural applications.

[the urban politician]

Does anybody know when 3300 N Clark will start construction? This is one of my favorite neighborhood TOD projects in the pipeline.

[Rizzo]

Originally Posted by Ned.B

^^Definitely and mostly improved, but it also seems to have been done by a team with no aesthetic eye or sense of detailing. The way one of the piers got chopped off for the lobby entrance is visually unsettling when the building is looked at as a whole, and who's bright idea was it to have the facade lighting slicing across one of the most interesting details on the building? Isn't that the feature you would want to light up? Lastly, anodized storefronts with limestone?

Admittedly that’d be my choice. This isn’t a perfect restoration. Just throw some kawneer storefront system in and let the tenant decide if they want to keep it.

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by ardecila

The bigger issue in my mind is simply that developers feel they need parking to sell condos.

Exactly. It’s as if developers and the City haven’t caught up with the revolution that has happened in terms of commuting patterns with Uber, Zipcar, corporate private busses and the like and mixed live/work communities like the West Loop becoming the new norm.

[Mr Downtown]

The cars are not being stored near condo units for daily commuting to the Loop. They're used by people (like schoolteachers or sales reps) who have to get to outlying areas for work, or for weekend visits to family or vacation homes.

[moorhosj]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

The cars are not being stored near condo units for daily commuting to the Loop. They're used by people (like schoolteachers or sales reps) who have to get to outlying areas for work, or for weekend visits to family or vacation homes.

This matches my experience. Rush hour transit numbers are as high as ever, people are replacing off-hours transit use with Uber/Lyft and using a car for trips to visit family, run errands and vacations.

[Jim in Chicago]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

The cars are not being stored near condo units for daily commuting to the Loop. They're used by people (like schoolteachers or sales reps) who have to get to outlying areas for work, or for weekend visits to family or vacation homes.

Or those like me who can't make public transit work for them. I live in the Sloop and work elsewhere in the city. My choice is to drive 20 minutes, reliably every day, or to spend a minimum of an hour on 2 buses and and train if i'm lucky. If I miss a connection it can be 90 minutes or more. The choice is obvious.

[harryc]

L.S.D. N Bound ramp - tween Randolph and Wacker

[Bombardier]

I saw the photos in Crain's, but yours are way better. Unfortunately I think we will be seeing more of this type of failure in the coming years as our infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Take a look at a lot of the older steel bridges and you will see a lot of conditions that look similar.