CHICAGO | General Developments

[Chi-Sky21]

Another data center coming?

http://www.suntimes.com/business/288...a-centers.html

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Another data center coming?

http://www.suntimes.com/business/288...a-centers.html

It's definitely coming it looks like. The address, by the way, is 2800 S Ashland, which is kind of on the borders of Lower West Side, South Lawndale, Bridgeport, and McKinley Park. Just north of the Ashland Orange Line stop.

Very cool..

[Chicagoguy]

A while back I remember hearing rumors that there was a possibility that the Sears store on Lawrence Avenue near Ravenswood would get a face lift after the all of the new construction that is happening in the area. It really has become even more of an eyesore now that everything around it is changing. It would be nice for them to finally put the windows back in on the second floor.

[petey2428]

1k Fulton this past Sunday.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

At the Finkl redevelopment thing there was plenty of vague talk referencing high tech jobs. But as we all know, "high tech jobs" in Chicago-speak typically refers to entry level customer service positions for a god damn coupon company and/or indoor bike parking.

There are real tech jobs here. Real startups, real software jobs, real jobs in other technologies. And while it's not expanding as fast as maybe we'd like it too, it is expanding. I work for a startup that's being acquired right now specifically for its technology and we'll remain in Chicago and be expanded. Our technology is such that the non-tech roles will expand faster than the tech roles, but those new jobs are being enabled by the technology even if they aren't tech jobs per se, and they will still be relatively high-paying jobs.

As for lower-level jobs being called "high-tech," I agree that it's a misnomer, however technology does enable these lower jobs, too, and not everyone has the brains (or the desire) to work in a pure tech role.

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

Agree 100%. I want all of the Cabrini homes to be completely removed. They are nasty to look at. A new development needs to be built there that fronts the street correctly, and brings an appropriate level of density to that area. I want that part of the area to be an extension of the awesomeness that is River North and Gold Coast.

I wouldn't mind it developing its own, new character.

Originally Posted by ChiTownWonder

Speaking of Cabrini, what is up with the Francis Cabrini Holmes? why weren't they torn down with the rest of Cabrini Green? I think that the Low Income houses will cause development to lag in certain areas. not to mention that the area is territory to the Gangster Disciples.

You can still buy crack in the rowhouses, despite the constant, highly visible police presence. That seems like reason enough to me to shut them down and start over.

[Mikemak27]

"You can still buy crack in the rowhouses, despite the constant, highly visible police presence. That seems like reason enough to me to shut them down and start over."

Thank You, yes, spot on! I got yelled at by some New Yorker for not supporting CHA housing in this area a couple of weeks ago. We tried that for 30 years here. It was a train wreck. This area has the possibility to add tens of millions of dollars to the property tax rolls each year if it is properly developed. Millions more could go to the CHA housing fund. This would help more low income renters than a couple units per building in these new developments ever could.

Does anyone have an update on the progress of the community center (Jesse White?) that is being built on Chicago between Kingsburry and Orleans?

[denizen467]

Originally Posted by Mikemak27

Does anyone have an update on the progress of the community center (Jesse White?) that is being built on Chicago between Kingsburry and Orleans?

Proceeding about as fast as the waiting line at a Secretary of State's driver services office.

[Mikemak27]

24 Townhomes planned for the corner of 35th St and Parnell Ave in Bridgeport. It won a zoning change from single family homes.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140...-zoning-change

[Rizzo]

Exterior of JW center is done. I rode by it the other day

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Mikemak27

24 Townhomes planned for the corner of 35th St and Parnell Ave in Bridgeport. It won a zoning change from single family homes.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140...-zoning-change

Interesting, as the developer is a Chinese entity. There seem to be multiple Chinese entities developing property in Chinatown. I'm not sure if their buyers are necessarily Chinese or not, but is Bridgeport slowly turning into Chinatown west?

[wierdaaron]

I guess the old Bennigans at 130 S Mich is going to be more than just a Walgreens? Alpana Singh is sticking a restaurant in there.

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/20...me-7-lions.php

[SamInTheLoop]

^ There is a lot of Chinese buying of real estate also happening right now in McKinley Park and parts of Back of the Yards and Brighton Park..........I think this will be part of the broader gentrification that we are on the cusp of in the greater near southwest side....actually probably wider area than that - a wide belt from Bridgeport pivoting all the way up to the Pilsen/University Village area and then up through the mid-far West Loop.......

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

Even more hotel rooms coming to the loop:

The great news for the Central Loop just keeps on coming........I've said it before, and I'll be saying it again and again, but there still are many people who are going to be caught off-guard by how truly 24/7 the Loop overall is going to be at the end of this decade......

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

I'm more torn on the West Loop one because at least Cabrini will need to have some number of lowrise buildings. We can't expect all of Cabrini to be highrises or it will have the same problems as the South Loop with a lack of street level character. We are building a neighborhood from scratch there and that means we should seek out some high density buildings and some lower density infill as well. There will be plenty of space left there for highrises down the road and we already getting some like the Grec design by Target.

I'm assuming this W Loop project is as-of-right......and yes, it's definitely not dense enough, but at least one good thing about some projects going as-of-right is that the neighborhood's 'red-brick rube' contingent can't twist the local alderman's arm to force dumbing down of design (for those projects that actually attempt to do real design)....

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by J_M_Tungsten

Illinois Medical District Signs Off on $300M Hotel Project
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140...-hotel-project

More renders here: http://chicago.curbed.com/archives/2...ay-project.php

Of course glad to see some at least reasonably intensive development coming to this part of the IMD.

With that stated, I suppose Jack Higgins and Elzie Higginbottom just happened to be the best qualified here to land this project, right? The insider back-scratching self-dealing and patronage-enabling at this city, county and state's quasi-government agencies and boards remains absolutely appalling and puke inducing. Time for no more 'it's chicago, what do you expect'-type bullshit attitudes, folks.....

[wierdaaron]

British School chugging along.

[SamInTheLoop]

^ Those walls look wonderful....

What a fucking POS!!


Dan McCaffery and Joe Antunovich: Removing the quality, interest, innovation, fun and joy from development and architecture since 1985...

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

is Bridgeport slowly turning into Chinatown west?

Has been for years. Bridgeport (CA 60) was one-third Asian in the last census; you'll see two dozen of those stainless steel doors favored by Chinese homeowners on every block.



Mapping America

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Has been for years. Bridgeport (CA 60) was one-third Asian in the last census; you'll see two dozen of those stainless steel doors favored by Chinese homeowners on every block.

Yeah it's been happening for awhile. Thing is that there are some census tracts in Bridgeport that are more than just 33%. Some of them are over 50 or 60%. There's even one or two tracts in McKinley Park that are now 1/3 Asian. I am pretty sure I've seen a storefront or two near the 35th/Archer Orange line stop that had Chinese writing on it. It's actually going into Brighton Park where a few tracts are close to 10% Asian and even Canaryville is the same. Even Douglas next to Chinatown is now 13% Asian. Asians are the only group that actually grew in population between the 2000 and 2010 census. There seem to be a decent number moving to the city. I moved downtown 5 years ago and even in my own building it is noticeable. My Chinese friend who moved here 4 years ago has noticed the same thing. He said he sometimes felt like the only Asian in his area of the Gold Coast 4 years ago, but now he sees them all over the place. It's pretty noticeable if you spend a lot of time in certain areas of the NNS and have for a few years pretty much everyday.

* http://www.usa.com/IL031840100.html | Bridgeport | 61.8% Asian
* http://www.usa.com/IL031840200.html | Bridgeport | 58.1%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031600400.html | Bridgeport | 56.1%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031600600.html | Bridgeport | 31.7%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031840400.html | McKinley Park | 31.6%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031839800.html | Bridgeport | 30.5%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031600900.html | Bridgeport | 25.5%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031842000.html | Douglas | 18.8%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031840300.html | McKinley Park | 17.9%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031839700.html | Bridgeport | 16.6%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031590500.html | McKinley Park | 14.5%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031580100.html | Brighton Park (I think) | 13.9%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031839900.html | Bridgeport (I think) | 13.7%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031839200.html | Douglas | 13.1%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031842600.html | New City | 10%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031590700.html | McKinley Park | 9%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031580300.html | Brighton Park | 8.4%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031580200.html | Brighton Park | 7.8%
* http://www.usa.com/IL031580400.html | Brighton Park | 7%


I created a diversity map by tract and you can click on each tract to see the racial breakdown:
https://www.google.com/fusiontables/...l-8QQ#map:id=4

But anyway, you can see that it's actually moving into McKinley Park and also Brighton Park. I seem to remember some 60 or 80 townhomes that were set to be built on the Brighton Park/McKinley Park border by a Chinese developer.

[wierdaaron]

British School South Loop has a construction cam.

http://thebritish.workzonecam.com/thebritish

Looks like the perspective is standing on the Roosevelt balcony outside the theater. From the replay it looks like the walls are pre-assembled rather than poured on-site. They're not structural so that probably allows it.