CHICAGO | General Developments

[lakeshoredrive]

Originally Posted by BWChicago

There's also not really "addons", what exists was all built as one structure. The later phases were the rear wings, which have been demolished, but those were also always planned. The existing building was designed to take the place of the previous CCH and connect to its wings, which were subsequently replaced in phases.

Found this old thread that have pictures of the rear wings being demolished.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=144298

[Steely Dan]

i noticed two lots at the belmont/southport intersection are U/C.

the SW corner is apparently going to be this handsome condo building:


source: http://www.mavrekdevelopment.com/mul...50-n-southport


does anyone know what's going on the NW corner? rendering?

[Vlajos]

^ I believe an apartment building with 24 rental units and ground floor retail.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/3/7/...thport-belmont

Also, that condo building does look pretty nice.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

^ I believe an apartment building with 24 rental units and ground floor retail.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/3/7/...thport-belmont

thanks. i wonder if there's an actual rendering floating around somewhere, the B&w elevation does tell a whole lot.

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Also, that condo building does look pretty nice.

yeah, dark modular face brick and an actual cornice. it doesn't take a whole hell of a lot, but these are the kinds of things that always seemed to get chopped by the VE-sensitive developers of buildings of this scale.

it'll be interesting to see if the finished product turns out like the renderings for this one.

[harryc]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

thanks. i wonder if there's an actual rendering floating around somewhere, the B&w elevation does tell a whole lot.

yeah, dark modular face brick and an actual cornice. it doesn't take a whole hell of a lot, but these are the kinds of things that always seemed to get chopped by the VE-sensitive developers of buildings of this scale.

it'll be interesting to see if the finished product turns out like the renderings for this one.

In context
Lakeview - Chicago by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr

Interesting note - they are using drilled piles so without a foundation wall no basement.

[Buckman821]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yeah, dark modular face brick and an actual cornice. it doesn't take a whole hell of a lot, but these are the kinds of things that always seemed to get chopped by the VE-sensitive developers of buildings of this scale.

it'll be interesting to see if the finished product turns out like the renderings for this one.

Speaking of nicely done small scale development. This condo project on Lawrence Ave is starting to wrap up...https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/48...home/148753195...and it looks really nice. Also whereas the photos in this link show only one building, they've already started on a virtually identical building on the lot next door (to the west). Side by side they really make a pretty big impact. The developer, Candea, has done a lot of nice work in Lincoln Square and Andersonville.



Actually there's a lot going on or recently delivered on Lawrence Ave between Damen and Western which was historically a really ugly stretch with very little truly urban development. You have to wonder if the pedestrian changes they made there a few years ago (going from 4 lanes to 2 lanes) resulted in all this development.

[Vlajos]

^ I have to believe the Lawrence lane shrinking/landscaped median building has made a huge difference. That stretch of Lawrence used to be especially heinous. It is really starting to look inviting for pedestrians. And completely agree about the Candea buildings, they look quite nice. And their retail spaces almost always are filled. What's their secret with that?

[Buckman821]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

^ I have to believe the Lawrence lane shrinking/landscaped median building has made a huge difference. That stretch of Lawrence used to be especially heinous. It is really starting to look inviting for pedestrians. And completely agree about the Candea buildings, they look quite nice. And their retail spaces almost always are filled. What's their secret with that?

I've often wondered this myself. I've got a hunch they have a strategy of subsidizing retailers that fit the image they are looking for (high end, trendy, urban) in order to help sell condos.

I don't know this to be a fact but my guess is they retain ownership in the retail condos, then offer really attractive leases to only certain retailers. They figure they can unload the retail condos later once the residential units are sold?

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Buckman821

I've often wondered this myself. I've got a hunch they have a strategy of subsidizing retailers that fit the image they are looking for (high end, trendy, urban) in order to help sell condos.

I don't know this to be a fact but my guess is they retain ownership in the retail condos, then offer really attractive leases to only certain retailers. They figure they can unload the retail condos later once the residential units are sold?

I am almost certain they own the commercial space. I have never seen a for sale sign on them. Maybe they do take lower than market rent to help the buildings out.

[jimjoe45]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

^ I believe an apartment building with 24 rental units and ground floor retail.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/3/7/...thport-belmont

Also, that condo building does look pretty nice.

Here is a link with more renderings: https://southportcorridorchicago.blo...ey-3200-n.html

[Steely Dan]

^ thanks jimjoe!

not as nice as the one on the SW corner, but man, what a scale change for that intersection overall.

[marothisu]

There's a zoning application that became public today for the vacant piece of land on the south side of Oak Street between Cambridge and Larrabee. It looks like it will be 3 buildings - first one with 78 units and a max height of 100 feet, and then a 12 unit building and 18 unit building - 108 total units. Total parking at 85. It's at the north end of the Cabrini-Green rowhomes.

This is CHA - and it looks like over 50% of the units will be affordable. Developer is Brinshore.

Currently (the entire field to Larrabee):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/52...!4d-87.6421348


----------

Also, the old Calhoun Elementary School on Adams between California and Francisco has a zoning application to redevelop it to a 64 unit building with 20 spots for parking. This is East Garfield Park kind of on the edge to Near West Side. All units will be affordable housing.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/28...!4d-87.6975332

[marothisu]

Okay here's a cool and interesting one. Hopefully some people get excited about this. Sky River, which is a local Chinese developer behind some developments and upcoming ones, wants to renovate the 110 year old historic building on Cermak & Grove, which is on the river.

They want to make it into a 200 room hotel with retail and office uses. Unfortunately, they want to turn the vacant lot across the street (also on the river) to a 115 spot parking lot for the hotel. The cool part at least is that they propose to make a landscaped riverwalk for the entire 280,000 sq ft building and parking lot along the river. I did a little more digging, and they're calling it Hoyt Square and they have a website for this. Apparently the company behind the Good Fortune supermarket chain in NYC and the area bought shares in Sky River recently. The plans for this look really big.
https://www.465wcermak.com

Included:
* 200 room hotel
* 43,000 square foot Good Fortune supermarket (Chinese/Asian)
* A 99 Favor Taste hot pot restaurant --> they are in NYC and the hot pot is good. Certainly would become one of the better hot pots in Chicago if not the best.

* 2 mores restaurants including a Hot Space (grilled fish) which is in Flushing and Brooklyn, as well as an 800 seat Cantonese restaurant (i.e. get your dim sum here)
* A coffee shop with pastries
* "Home Smart Mall" - looks like show rooms for your home like Merchandise Mart does. 90,000 square feet.
* 45,000 square foot spa with swimming pool, bath house, etc.
* Food court


This is really interesting to me not only because they want to renovate a 110 year old historic building on the river and put a riverwalk in it with a hotel, but for what they want to do with it. This basically has Flushing (Queens) written all over it - some of these restaurants are in Flushing (most legit Chinese area in NYC in my opinion), but also just the scale of this thing. There's a few big things like this in Flushing - and also one of my favorite parts in all of NYC. Also it's interesting because another restaurant from Flushing recently opened a Chicago outpost in Chinatown. Specifically that is called Friend BBQ - their restaurant in Flushing (which we are fans of) is called Friendship BBQ.

Sign of things to come for Chicago Chinatown area..? I wonder if more investors or restaurants from Flushing might be coming to Chicago if this thing gets off the ground.


https://www.google.com/maps/place/45....6391709?hl=en

[Barrelfish]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Okay here's a cool and interesting one. Hopefully some people get excited about this. Sky River, which is a local Chinese developer behind some developments and upcoming ones, wants to renovate the 110 year old historic building on Cermak & Grove, which is on the river.

They want to make it into a 200 room hotel with retail and office uses. Unfortunately, they want to turn the vacant lot across the street (also on the river) to a 115 spot parking lot for the hotel. The cool part at least is that they propose to make a landscaped riverwalk for the entire 280,000 sq ft building and parking lot along the river. I did a little more digging, and they're calling it Hoyt Square and they have a website for this. Apparently the company behind the Good Fortune supermarket chain in NYC and the area bought shares in Sky River recently. The plans for this look really big.
https://www.465wcermak.com

Included:
* 200 room hotel
* 43,000 square foot Good Fortune supermarket (Chinese/Asian)
* A 99 Favor Taste hot pot restaurant --> they are in NYC and the hot pot is good. Certainly would become one of the better hot pots in Chicago if not the best.

* 2 mores restaurants including a Hot Space (grilled fish) which is in Flushing and Brooklyn, as well as an 800 seat Cantonese restaurant (i.e. get your dim sum here)
* A coffee shop with pastries
* "Home Smart Mall" - looks like show rooms for your home like Merchandise Mart does. 90,000 square feet.
* 45,000 square foot spa with swimming pool, bath house, etc.
* Food court


This is really interesting to me not only because they want to renovate a 110 year old historic building on the river and put a riverwalk in it with a hotel, but for what they want to do with it. This basically has Flushing (Queens) written all over it - some of these restaurants are in Flushing (most legit Chinese area in NYC in my opinion), but also just the scale of this thing. There's a few big things like this in Flushing - and also one of my favorite parts in all of NYC. Also it's interesting because another restaurant from Flushing recently opened a Chicago outpost in Chinatown. Specifically that is called Friend BBQ - their restaurant in Flushing (which we are fans of) is called Friendship BBQ.

Sign of things to come for Chicago Chinatown area..? I wonder if more investors or restaurants from Flushing might be coming to Chicago if this thing gets off the ground.


https://www.google.com/maps/place/45....6391709?hl=en

Very cool! Love the sound of all of this. Even the parking lot doesn't bother me too much, given the industrial uses of the surrounding area.

[the urban politician]

Nice! Call me very excited

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Barrelfish

Very cool! Love the sound of all of this. Even the parking lot doesn't bother me too much, given the industrial uses of the surrounding area.

Yeah, that's pretty awesome. Now here's some more interesting stuff. I think I'd posted on here a long time ago how the Chinese population has gone up in and around Pilsen.

There is another application available now from another developer who sounds Chinese ("New Chan LLC") for the vacant land bounded by Des Plaines, Jefferson, Cullerton, and 21st St. Total land area is nearly 225,000 sq ft. The application shows plans for 233 residential units across 6 buildings (4-7 stories in height). One of the buildings to be a 137,000 sq ft retail building.


https://www.google.com/maps/place/19...6!4d-87.642504

If you follow this, then you realize that this area is basically across the river from the previous building I just posted about, and almost right after the bridge, you'd turn on Jefferson and it's a block up. Not far away on that side of the river closer to 18th street are a few Chinese markets.

[the urban politician]

Well blow me down!

We’re witnessing the Chinese version of what Sterling Bay did with the West Loop

Fantastico!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Well blow me down!

We’re witnessing the Chinese version of what Sterling Bay did with the West Loop

Fantastico!

I can't find anything on the west of the river development, though all the partners in the company are Chinese. No idea if the retail area would be primarily Chinese type of stuff or whatever.

It got me thinking though. That area west of the river is prime for something like this. If enough people with money purchased that stuff up, it basically becomes an extension of Chinatown...there's a lot of fairly sizable projects happening right now in Flushing in NYC (or have completed in the last handful of years). I mean, Chinese population in Chicago is expanding a bit - not as much as NYC, but this would be really interesting to see...

[the urban politician]

The Hoyt Square website shows that this is a pretty well baked plan. Looks promising

You pulled out another gem, Marothisu. This thing looks almost like a Chinese Eataly

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I can't find anything on the west of the river development, though all the partners in the company are Chinese. No idea if the retail area would be primarily Chinese type of stuff or whatever.

It got me thinking though. That area west of the river is prime for something like this. If enough people with money purchased that stuff up, it basically becomes an extension of Chinatown...there's a lot of fairly sizable projects happening right now in Flushing in NYC (or have completed in the last handful of years). I mean, Chinese population in Chicago is expanding a bit - not as much as NYC, but this would be really interesting to see...

If only our huge and entrepreneurial minded Indo-Pak population took interest in building a district like this. Don’t get me wrong, Devon is nice, but they bought existing buildings.

Would love to see an outward expansion with more hotels, shops, etc. Alas, most of the new retail, restaurants is happening in the burbs