I’m curious to see if there’s any sign of the development boom slowing down due to the pandemic and ensuing recession. The @ChicagoDPD handles large developments early on in their permitting process, so this is a good indicator for how many cranes will dot the horizon next spring

One thing that isn’t slowing down is Chicago’s ballooning logistics industry. Today the DPD is reviewing an application for a substantial expansion of an already massive CSX railyard hub on 63rd st and Western, just south of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

While luxury developments and new office tower construction *might* wither away, logistics and transportation infrastructure in and around Chicago will only spread. Stuff you order from Amazon needs a way to get here, and a place to sit while it waits for you to order it.

Domestic oil production, agriculture production, consumer goods, etc. The city’s role as a global financial center won’t topple, even if the luxury development bubble pops. Chicago prob won't reindustrialize the south side or fire up the old steel mills again--

but all roads and railroads still lead to Chicago.

Anyhoot, Commission Chair Teresa Cordova is doing roll call. She's just welcomed Alderman Walter Burnett (his ward includes the gentrifying and construction heavy West Loop), and said, "Last meeting you spoke of a 'Great Comeback', I'm so happy to have your optimism here."

We're on to public comment. Cauline Quilty, a Lincoln Park resident, is on. She's opposed to the proposed 7 story mixed use residential/hotel development at 1623 N Halsted. She's worried about worsening traffic in an area that's already bad, as well as the lack of transparency.

It will have 0 parking stalls and 79 bike parking stalls.

That ends the public comment period, and now the commissioners are discussing that plan. You can look at it here: chicago.documenters.org/documents/pd-a…

They’re going to knock down four buildings to build their 7 story residential/hotel building. They don’t have to have parking included in their plan because of its proximity to the CTA red lines and brown lines. https://t.co/zZSRkF6EHd

The Lincoln Park resident who spoke during public comment mentioned that she is an organizer for Unit Here Local 1, a union that represents hospitality workers. She was concerned about the lack of a loading zone or a plan to mitigate traffic.

She anticipates hotel guests taking ride shares, rather than public transportation, and thinks it will be a huge congested mess and lower the quality of life for residents and visitors.

The developer, JDL Development, was just asked directly whether or not these were going to be 73 permanent residencies, or if some of them will be hotel. JDL CEO Jim Letchinger seemed to skirt the question, and didn't answer it directly.

Commissioner and architect Linda Searl just criticized the fenestration design of the building, aka it's windows. She points out that all four sides of the building are exactly the same. Why? Where's the opportunity for interacting with it's environment, natural southerly light?

Walter Burnett is asking very direct questions: Who’s the contractor? (don’t have one yet) How will you ensure that women and minorities are working on your site? (some babble) What kind of units are you building? (mostly 1 bedrooms and studios). continued:

How much are you renting your units at? (Hopefully $325/ft but that’s hard cus the downturn in the market)

Burnett does the math in his head, “Ok, so about $1550 for a 1500 ft 1 bedroom apartment.”

The developers are within the Affordable Requirements Ordinance. They're building 2 units off site within 2 miles of the project that will be affordable at 60% of the median income (so they'll charge ~ $1,000/mo for 1 bedroom rent). They're paying $800,000 for inliue fees as well

The Commissioners vote on approving this development request, and it passes.

We're on to the CSX expansion proposal. There's a ton of railroad representatives on the call. Their accents, the cadence of their speech, and the gruffness of their voices are in sharp contrast with the JDL contractor.

One of the reps is selling all the good points about freight trains and throws out some stats-- one freight train takes about 200 trucks off the road--and lists off commitments to cut green house emissions. https://t.co/JxbF3JvAeI

This man just said, “Seems strange to say it, but you could really call this railyard sexy. Existing conditions are its a vacant site, its decrepit, its run down. Theres commercial to the east, and some residential to the west. None of the houses face the site.” https://t.co/ECVDbhlhbb

It’s huge. Here’s an areal view of the yard circled in yellow. The crosses square to the left is Midway Airport. https://t.co/LIbJAeM21O

Semi trucks will enter the yard at 59th and stage inside the yard as they wait to be unloaded. The rep says this will be good, cus it diverts truck traffic away from the city. What about the people who live there though?

Chairman Teresa Cordova asks the reps how the surrounding neighborhoods will be affected by this expansion. CSX Rep Livingston answers,

“This is more about efficiency than expansion. 160 + trucks will come in and out per day. Peak time at mid day will be 12 trucks per hour."

16th Ward Alderman Stephanie Coleman and a rep from 15th Ward Raymond Lopez's office just glowingly approved of the project. Alderman Coleman says that this project will help "bridge the gap between the black and brown communities of Chicago Lawn and Englewood."

The emphasis on the word "efficiency" as opposed to "expansion" and the lack of any public comment are worth noting. Back in 2013, Englewood residents successfully stopped the expansion of a Norfork Sothern railyard expansion between 47th & 55th st between Halsted & the Dan Ryan.

Groups like @Join_RAGE and other community activists feared that increased diesel pollution from the expansion would cause more asthma in a neighborhood that already had twice the hospitalization rate for asthma than the rest of the city.

And the loss of their neighborhood. Norfork Southern bought up 80 acres of Englewood property, and threatened emminent domain for home owners who refused to sell.
inthesetimes.com/article/seekin…

chicagoreporter.com/rail-yard-expa…

The lattice work of rails of the train network criss cross all across Chicago. Organizers for equity and against environmental racism question why their neighborhoods are chosen for these expansions, and not the north side?

Correction: community members staved off the Norfork Southern expansion for about four years before the city and the company went through with the 80 acre expansion.

CSX is expanding their yard by 22 acres. I can see now why the representatvie called it "sexy". This time they don't have to seize anyone's property.

In any case, stay up to date with industrial growth via this public/private project called CREATE--Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program. createprogram.org/projects.htm

The proposal for the CSX expansion passes.

The Plan Commission is talking about a development for the rideshare company Lyft on Elston Ave on Goose Island. West Loop condo tycoon Jeff Shapack, calling in from who knows where, owns the lot & leased the building last summer to Happy Place, a Los Angeles-based venture...

...that opened a pop-up museum with 13 rooms designed to "make patrons feel good."

The proposal passes.

Next is a proposal from Vista Property Group for a new 15-story office tower rise and renovation of an existing structure at 601 W. Randolph Street. https://t.co/3HpzlRB1h6

Sorry, the building is at 609 w Randolph. They're taking all their design cues from the historic, but not landmarked, 1890’s building on the corner at number 601.

This being new office construction in the era of white collar (and other) workers being able to work from home, Vista Property Group is incorporating Covid design technologies--you can enter the front door, get into elevator, go to your work floor without touching anything.

There will be an open air terrace on the 15th floor and increased air quality test measures.

I wonder if they already have tenants for their office building?

The proposal passes and we're on to a presentation on a new skilled nursing rehabilitation center in the Gold Coast at 50 E Huron.

The developer plans to add 3 floors to the former American Library Association Building that is currently vacant. https://t.co/RpIKjhwCoz

The lead architect is talking about adding X bracing to the structure, as the Chicago Building Code just added seismic bracing for their parameters. https://t.co/E5dx9N6yuv

It passes, and now we're onto a proposal to allow animal services and other commercial uses at an already completed Planned Development building in Uptown right along the lakefront.

A couple commissioners including Alderman Tom Tunney have let the developer know that they approve of them having a veterinary service, but are letting it be known that they think the building is an uninspired disapointment.

The 27 story residential glass box was completed last year, and rests on the site of the former (and beloved) modernist Cuneo Hospital on Montrose Ave.
chicago.curbed.com/2017/2/16/1462… https://t.co/hUYnL2uINj

It passes and now we're on to a proposal to approve of design changes to an 18-story building on Sheridan rd in Edgewater. These changes come in response to community feedback. The project scope was reduced from a proposed 7-story with 99 units to a 5 story with 78 dwelling units

The building is not bound by the Affordable Requirements Ordinance, but is "looking for other routes" to create affordable housing in their development.

The Commissioners are asking about the curb cut and how traffic will be mitigated in the neighborhood. What an incredible display of disparity in Chicago. Exhaustive discussion about congestion on the north side for a building that isn't even required to be affordable by city...

...standards, and the ease at which an industrial expansion is approved on the south side.

A commissioner asks what the total development costs are, and the price of a rental unit? Developers always seem to sound uncomfortable when they're asked direct questions like this. The developer stammers that the size of the units are substantially larger than before.

The development went from 99 units to 76 units (and the amount of floors decreased as well). As for rental costs, they project that starting market rents for 2022 will be around $3/sq foot, so $1,500/mo for a 500 sq ft studio apt.

He says, "there’s not a whole lot of new housing in Edgewater, so the demand is there. And who knows how wild the market will get in 2022."

Construction costs are projected to be $23.5 million.

It passes of course. With that, the regular meeting is over, and now Assistant Commissioner Nancy Radzevich is giving an update on the Master Planned Development Guidelines. They’re going to post everything on their website today, and there will be a 60 day public comment period.

DPD is going to have a webinar on the changes in December and be open to comments, concerns, and rebuttals.

The changes are about DPD processes, how they prioritize and regulate land, categorize zoning changes and requirements, as well as changes in transparency with the public regarding community meetings on neighborhood impacts.

This is meant to simplify the process for all parties—the city, developers, aldermen, and the community. Commissioner Cordova says that developers appreciate knowing what’s expected of them up front, so this is a win win.

Keep your eyes peeled on the @ChicagoDPD website for the changes in the guidelines. https://t.co/IE0HXhqVEf

And with that, the meeting is adjourned. Thanks for following along, and be sure to follow @CHIdocumenters and @city_bureau for more ways to uncover massively invisible objects, like industry and development.