Undeveloped Chicago

The empty lot on the NW corner of State and Van Buren.

Everything around United Center.

I mentioned this in the Wicker Park thread. There are quite a few areas around the Division/Milwaukee/Ashland intersection. The K-mart/Jewel. The parking lot behind MB Bank. The Pizza Hut(now abandoned) and Wendy's right next to the post office.

The lots around NBC Tower, all those huge parcels in the South Loop near the river, the area south of Riverbend.

All good choices so far. I would say lot just south of Union Station. It is begging to be a huge duel use transit, mixed use, or primary office building waiting to extend the skyline west with a supertall.

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spyguy said:

all those huge parcels in the South Loop near the river

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Yes, these empty fields and surface lots are almost as amazing as the skyline itself. How can one of the most concentrated and dense urban landscapes be so close to empty (privately owned/non-public?) fields?

The roosevelt collection will help, but the huge site west of that townhome subdivision along clark, south of roosevelt, is a big issue. How can that ever get street access now that the walled townhome development is there. WHo owns all that now anyway? I remember there were a number of ideas for developing it and the property switching hands a while back.

Loopy said:

The crummy Best Western and unused parking garage on 11th Street between Michigan and Wabash.

It's right on Grant Park. "Highest and Best Use" calls for, at least, a 600 footer.

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But it's part of the historic streetwall. :lol:

I'd really love to see the surface lots developed into smart TODs at the redline's Chicago Av. stop at Chicago/State. It is terrible to enter the city to only see parking lots. And this is Chicago's most tourist-oriented mass transit station...other than ORD.

robituss said:

Yes, these empty fields and surface lots are almost as amazing as the skyline itself. How can one of the most concentrated and dense urban landscapes be so close to empty (privately owned/non-public?) fields?

The roosevelt collection will help, but the huge site west of that townhome subdivision along clark, south of roosevelt, is a big issue. How can that ever get street access now that the walled townhome development is there. WHo owns all that now anyway? I remember there were a number of ideas for developing it and the property switching hands a while back.

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This huge parcell of land has had many slimmy hands on it lately including Rezco and DeBartello. I don't recall the latest ownership but in terms of sheer size this takes the cake.

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Loopy said:

I
so nothing will happen with this site as long as Rezko has any title to it.

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Maybe that's a good thing? The Streets of Woodfield on steriods plan didn't do it for me.

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I tend to say "better than nothing" a lot. But in this case, I dont think it applies - although the park looks nice. Hopefully something better comes along, and I believe it eventually will.

Btw thanks for the explanation bout the site loopy.

Loopy said:

Actually not. The Landmark District ends right across 11th street, at a poor little building that you once proposed demolishing.

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That was just because I had a music class in that building that was a bitch. I have passed that class and am no longer in that building, so it can stay!

Loopy said:

I was initially so enthusiastic about this development that I was blind to your earlier criticisms of the designs. But, now I see your point.

It shouldn't be hard to do better than this:

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Sorry for my ignorance, but what and where is this development?

southloopscotty said:

what and where is this development?

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That appears to be an early rendering for Riverside Park, but it's not the same as the model that was carried around during PD negotiations. Perhaps it was actually later than the model/PD application, but I don't think so.

The access issues to the Riverside Park site don't really have to do with the walls next to the townhouses on the east side of Clark. The site is bounded by an elevated Roosevelt Road, the Metra Rock Island tracks, the St Charles Air Line tracks, and the river. So there's no easy way in from any side.

If Metra ever gets funding for the South-East Service, they will probably need to add one or two more tracks to the 2-track Rock Island line going into LaSalle Street Station. There were more than 2 tracks originally, but the extra tracks were ripped out when Metra took over the line.

I'm sincerely hoping that when Metra eventually adds these tracks, they will consider shifting over their tracks to allow access into Riverside Park.

Also, the St. Charles Air Line will eventually become obsolete with the addition of a flyover track at Grand Crossing, meaning that it can be converted to a linear park like the NY High Line or Bloomingdale Trail. Once this happens, it will no longer block access.

Ramps can be built down from elevated Roosevelt, somewhat like Illinois Center.