CHICAGO | General Developments

[Freefall]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Centrum is proposing a 9 story office building (with retail) to replace the former Walmart Express building in River North.



Let the densification of Chicago Avenue continue!

Awesome. Let's fill every nook and cranny

[killaviews]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

you mean Tower Town?

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...313-story.html

The West Loop isn’t Bohemian. The West Loop trajectory can’t be compared with River North’s development. There is no Michigan Ave next to the West Loop. Some of River North’s less optimal developments are due just to being close the Mag Mile.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by spyguy

Centrum is proposing a 9 story office building (with retail) to replace the former Walmart Express building in River North.



Let the densification of Chicago Avenue continue!

Yes! This has needed to go for a long time!

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by killaviews

The West Loop isn’t Bohemian. The West Loop trajectory can’t be compared with River North’s development. There is no Michigan Ave next to the West Loop. Some of River North’s less optimal developments are due just to being close the Mag Mile.

It's not a perfect comparison but there's lots of similarities. Tower Town was a relatively small artist colony wedged in the blocks immediately south of Chicago Ave. It certainly did not cover all or even most of what is considered River North today, and was a tiny fraction of the size of comparable bohemian areas like Greenwich Village or the Latin Quarter. Further south, what is now the heart of River North's entertainment district, was a Skid Row-esque area full of warehouses, SROs, and seedy bars - in that sense it is very similar to West Loop with its Madison Street Skid Row.

Also, River North's gentrification started with one street that became acceptable to the upper-crust (Michigan Avenue for the carriage trade/retail) and so did West Loop (Randolph for dining).

[emathias]

What about the West Loop do you prefer over River North?

The West Loop had never had the pressure of tourism that River North has had, nor did it have the River and Michigan Avenue, not easy access to the North Side. All of that put completely different pressures on the West Loop development cycles than River North had. Timing also has had a lot to do with what has been developed.

I like the West Loop okay, but as far as convenience and living highly urban and car-free, I'll still pick River North over the West Loop.

[killaviews]

Originally Posted by emathias

What about the West Loop do you prefer over River North?

The West Loop had never had the pressure of tourism that River North has had, nor did it have the River and Michigan Avenue, not easy access to the North Side. All of that put completely different pressures on the West Loop development cycles than River North had. Timing also has had a lot to do with what has been developed.

I like the West Loop okay, but as far as convenience and living highly urban and car-free, I'll still pick River North over the West Loop.

There's also a lot To-Be-Determined in the West Loop/Fulton Market. Parts are surprisingly very empty, except for some construction workers. I went to Fulton Galley (1115 W Fulton) a few weeks ago for lunch, and it was dead. A place like that would be packed in River North. The area around McD's headquarters was buzzing with people. The population and daytime population is still pretty small, especially compared to River North. There are only like 3-4 hotels open now. All the development looks great and exciting, but on the street, the people aren't there yet.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by emathias

What about the West Loop do you prefer over River North?

The West Loop had never had the pressure of tourism that River North has had, nor did it have the River and Michigan Avenue, not easy access to the North Side. All of that put completely different pressures on the West Loop development cycles than River North had. Timing also has had a lot to do with what has been developed.

I like the West Loop okay, but as far as convenience and living highly urban and car-free, I'll still pick River North over the West Loop.

As of today I agree. The West Loop has a lot of potential with the towers that are being built/proposed, the pattern of development, and the possibility of a new metra/CTA stop at Halsted/Lake. But right now River North's level of density and activity make it the more desirable neighborhood from an urban living standpoint.

The misstep/downside of RN are some of the hideous podiums that pock mark the neighborhood and detract from some of the street level experience on some blocks--which as you said is really just due to timing. West Loop is being developed during an era where pedestrian experience takes precedence over driver experience.

[IrishIllini]

The part of River North I was comparing to the W Loop is the southern portion Ardecila brought up. River North lost almost all of its warehouses. If River North still had the vibe of Ontario west of Orleans, it’d be a much nicer neighborhoods.

The West Loop generally has a finer grain of urbanism and isn’t dominated by towers on a podium. This is also true of west River North in more recent years. Until the West Loop boom, we lacked a neighborhood of mid-rises. I think it’ll look great once a few taller, slender towers start breaking through, but I don’t want to see it overrun with glassy high rises on top of podiums.

[harryc]

Oct 19

[Busy Bee]

^Would be cool if that old Lee Overalls advertisement could be repainted.

[Handro]

Speaking of potential mid-rise neighborhoods adjacent to downtown--any word on interesting rehabs/proposals in/around Motor Row? Some really cool building stock down there, lots of empty surface lots, and near the new(ish) green line stop... wonder why this hood isn't seeing more activity...?

[LouisVanDerWright]

^^^ They just opened a drag club in 2229 S Michigan and rehabbed the upper floors for offices. The problem is those blocks are zoned DS which prohibits residential basically dooming this area to be reliant on spotty convention traffic. It's hard to build a neighborhood around more people than you can ever serve when a convention is going on and literally nobody when there isn't a convention in town.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

^^^ They just opened a drag club in 2229 S Michigan and rehabbed the upper floors for offices. The problem is those blocks are zoned DS which prohibits residential basically dooming this area to be reliant on spotty convention traffic. It's hard to build a neighborhood around more people than you can ever serve when a convention is going on and literally nobody when there isn't a convention in town.

That's too bad, this could be a really cool part of town if some attention were paid to it.

[Handro]

Also just heard that Mothers Too (been there forever) is closing this month because the landlord declined to renew the lease. With some of the other activity in this part of Gold Coast, could we see a proposal sometime soon?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9039...7i13312!8i6656

[ThirdCoaster]

I'm not sure if this is the right page for this, but I wanted to share an interesting mock-up Cushman + Wakefield created for turning the Central Loop into a more active neighborhood. I think it's a great idea, but not sure how feasible it would be.

I think it's in the city's long-term best interest to make the Loop more live-able and extend the energy from River North and West Loop and Michigan Avenue to the downtown areas that feel completely dead after 7pm and weekends.

http://blog.cushwake.com/chicago/wha...tral-loop.html

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Former bank building at 1965 N Milwaukee Ave (former Cole bank) has a permit to make part of it into a restaurant with bar and "interactive game rooms." Owner on the permit is one of the founders of Cards Against Humanity. Anybody have any idea of what he's planning with that one?

Multiple months later:

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/10/23...go-escape-room

[gebs]

Originally Posted by Handro

Also just heard that Mothers Too (been there forever) is closing this month because the landlord declined to renew the lease. With some of the other activity in this part of Gold Coast, could we see a proposal sometime soon?

With McFadden's and PJ Clarke's also closed, this whole area is getting less fratty. Maybe in 20 years it'll look completely different if the rest of those establishments follow suit.

I'm not saying this is necessarily good, as I've always been intrigued by the dramatic shift in character from the Gold Coast south of Division to Division St, to Gold Coast North of Division Street. It's like talking to your rich and charismatic uncle, taking a shot of Malort, and eating a macaron with your great aunt.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Handro

Also just heard that Mothers Too (been there forever) is closing this month because the landlord declined to renew the lease. With some of the other activity in this part of Gold Coast, could we see a proposal sometime soon?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9039...7i13312!8i6656

Pretty sure there's more going on than meets the eye. You know the building next door is getting torn down for a new 11 story residential and retail building right? The drawing in the zoning application shows that the building where Mothers is in will either get some sort of addition on it or is getting knocked down and rebuilt:

https://chicago.legistar.com/Legisla...vanced&Search=

The drawing shows it as 31 feet tall - that building is not 31 feet tall currently. Why would the owner even offer them renewal? Even if there's work adding onto that building, it's possible they'd have to shut down their business for awhile anyway.

[Handro]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Pretty sure there's more going on than meets the eye. You know the building next door is getting torn down for a new 11 story residential and retail building right? The drawing in the zoning application shows that the building where Mothers is in will either get some sort of addition on it or is getting knocked down and rebuilt:

https://chicago.legistar.com/Legisla...vanced&Search=

The drawing shows it as 31 feet tall - that building is not 31 feet tall currently. Why would the owner even offer them renewal? Even if there's work adding onto that building, it's possible they'd have to shut down their business for awhile anyway.

I vaguely remembered something happening there, wasn't sure if it was an addition to the existing or a whole new building. Interesting, I wasn't aware it was the same owner... not quite as exciting as a whole new building proposal. Either way, I might be a sell-out to my younger self but that strip of bars on Division is a way under-utilization for that area.

[harryc]

Chicago | 318 N Carpenter by Harry Carmichael, on Flickr