CHICAGO | General Developments - Page 904

Mr Downtown · #**18061** Posted **Mar 11, 2013, 7:42 PM**

Could be. I thought it was impressive that ALL Crane Rental would have eight custom-painted trucks that all showed up the same morning, rather than ferrying the pieces two at a time over a few days.

emathias · #**18062** Posted **Mar 11, 2013, 8:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila

I think it was a joke.
...

yes

Joe Zekas · #**18063** Posted **Mar 11, 2013, 8:46 PM**

Webster Square by YoChicago1, on Flickr

New Mariano's site, Ashland and Webster by YoChicago1, on Flickr

Shot earlier today.

Buckman821 · #**18064** Posted **Mar 11, 2013, 11:39 PM**

Since we are apparently on a Marianos kick, I present the Marianos at Lawrence and Ravenswood:

Bonus shot of the Metra station getting built across the street. I'll post in transit thread.

Ch.G, Ch.G · #**18065** Posted **Mar 11, 2013, 11:58 PM**

Very earthy.

the urban politician · #**18066** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 12:26 AM**

Wow, lots of construction there.

Is there an actual rendering of the Mariano's on Webster?

J_M_Tungsten · #**18067** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 12:44 AM**

It's a Mariano's takeover.

denizen467 · #**18068** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 1:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Is there an actual rendering of the Mariano's on Webster?

I think Joe Zekas is referring to 2, count 'em, different Mariano's stores on Webster. The second photo is from Webster & Ashland where a Mariano's is definitely going. But the first photo, Webster Square, is presumably one of the Webster & Lincoln projects -- I didn't realize a Mariano's was going in there. Joe, can you elaborate or post renders?

I was talking to a senior staff member at a Mariano's not long ago who spent most of his career working for Dominick's. He said Dominick's started to go downhill after the Safeway takeover (not surprising), and now especially with Mariano's booming from downtown out to the outer suburbs (with Mr. Mariano at the helm -- for a long time he had served as the successful hand-picked successor to the DiMatteo family running Dominick's), they expect there are currently a bunch of Dominick's stores that are on the verge of closing, and management has been propping them up just to spite Mariano's and Mr. Mariano. Food fight!

ardecila · #**18069** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 2:32 AM**

dp

ardecila · #**18070** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 2:35 AM**

I'm glad the oligopoly is ending, though. Jewel and Dom's were both awful before Mariano's started to move in on the middle class market, and really awful before Trader Joe's and Whole Foods moved in on the upper class segment.

Now we've got a panoply of chains, which can only help. I guess the downsizing of one of the big players was inevitable.

Also, spite generally isn't a good business plan.

Joe Zekas · #**18071** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 6:04 AM**

Webster Square is not a Mariano's site. It's mostly residential, with retail that has yet to be identified.

Maybe I should have put up the pictures in separate posts. It just never occurred to me that anyone would assume that Webster Square had anything to do with Mariano's.

wierdaaron · #**18072** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 6:14 AM**

Mariano's is more middle class than Whole Foods? I've only seen the lakeshore east location, but it seems pretty upmarket.

The number of grocery store projects I've seen here makes me hopeful for the population's return to downtown. I'm curious to see if the CityTarget in the Loop, with its meager (but better than nothing) grocery offering, predicates an upswing in residential growth.

ardecila · #**18073** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 6:32 AM**

Yes, Mariano's has been expanding in some very middle-class communities like Palatine and Schaumburg. Probably the western suburbs too, but I'm less familiar with that area.

denizen467 · #**18074** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 7:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Zekas

Webster Square is not a Mariano's site. It's mostly residential, with retail that has yet to be identified.

Maybe I should have put up the pictures in separate posts. It just never occurred to me that anyone would assume that Webster Square had anything to do with Mariano's.

Joe the heading immediately above the Webster/Lincoln photo said "Webster Square, Mariano's on Webster", so it seemed like there would be something called Mariano's on Webster in Webster Square. Because the photos are so large compared to the text, it was hard to see all the photos and commentary in one screen and then accordingly notice that your heading was for the entirety of the post as opposed to for just the first photo. But more relevantly, that heading used a comma, not a semicolon -- grammar strikes again.

Not complaining, just giving an example of how little things can lead to a small misunderstanding. Anyway, I think the developer originally did intend to bring in a supermarket here -- but the neighbors said that trucks and loading docks meant the sky was definitely falling.

Mariano's is on a major tear in a big way. And wierdaaron, if you look at their prices, they are definitely shooting to underprice the big legacy chains, at least for now.

-----

Here is a completely unrelated amusing news story of a brazen caper instantly gone horribly wrong for a dumb criminal on the southwest side:
(Thanks to Bus Tracker GPS, CTA buses now also enjoy deterrence against all but the most blockheaded burglars..)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,1965984.story
Owner of scrap yard is charged after remains of stolen buses found
March 11, 2013
... Eight 40-foot-long [school] buses, each capable of seating 75 people, were taken sometime overnight Thursday from the yard of Sunshine Transportation on Chicago's Far South Side, police said. Shards of metal bearing the bus company's name could be seen Friday in the yard at SRV Metal Scrapper and Gonzalez Auto Parts & Dismantling, which is owned by 44-year-old Sergio Quintero, police said. Later that day, Quintero was arrested after a search of his scrap company in Chicago's South Lawndale neighborhood, where he was found hiding in the ceiling of the business' office, police said. ... The buses were equipped with GPS tracking devices, and police were able to track "their entire movement" to the scrap yard ...

Vlajos · #**18075** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 3:33 PM**

What is Webster Square?

emathias · #**18076** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 3:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vlajos

What is Webster Square?

A square dedicated to an 80s TV show ...

It's the redevelopment of Lincoln Park Hospital on Lincoln at Webster.
http://www.webstersq.com/

J_M_Tungsten · #**18077** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 3:47 PM**

^ it kind of reminds me of the first design for 1225 wells. Could we get lucky and hope they still change the design?

the urban politician · #**18078** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias

A square dedicated to an 80s TV show ...

You know, that actually wouldn't be a half bad idea. Dedicate the park to the actual show, and have a statue of the little kid who played 'Webster'. After all, the show was set in Chicago, right? While we're at it, lets have a 'Punky Brewster' park as well...

Vlajos · #**18079** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 4:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by emathias

A square dedicated to an 80s TV show ...

It's the redevelopment of Lincoln Park Hospital on Lincoln at Webster.
http://www.webstersq.com/

Looks like I need to get to Lincoln Park more often. I didn't know this was under construction. I thought the NIMBYs were holding this up.

Joe Zekas · #**18080** Posted **Mar 12, 2013, 6:35 PM**

New Target on Division Street by YoChicago1, on Flickr

Iron worker walks the iron by YoChicago1, on Flickr

Shot earlier today.