Suburban Anti-development News (Chicago, Evanston, Skokie: sales, 2013, apartments)

[OKParker]

Good decision or bad decision? https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/3/22...rabee-clybourn

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by OKParker

Good decision or bad decision? https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/3/22...rabee-clybourn

What does this have to do with the suburbs?

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

What does this have to do with the suburbs?

absolutely nothing

[OKParker]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

What does this have to do with the suburbs?

Sorry - completely wrong link: https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/3/22...tower-canelled

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by OKParker

Sorry - completely wrong link: https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/3/22...tower-canelled

Coincidentally, I had read both of these articles prior to your post. I am not from or invested in Oak Park, so I can't speak to this particular case. However, in Evanston and the rest of North Shore, we have struggled with demands for higher density development. I think Evanston's city council has really botched it badly. When I was younger, Downtown Evanston was very sleepy. It had been decimated by Old Orchard in the decades before my birth. Evanston started rubber stamping extremely large developments in the late 1960s. Things really started ramping up in the late '90s, severely altering the character of the downtown area and slowly creeping into the areas closest to the Chicago Avenue corridor. That area bears little resemblance to the Chicago Avenue of my youth.

Many people who are new to the area are attracted to the many new shops, restaurants, and the theater. However, many of the longtime Evanstonians resent the increasing density and the increasing proportion of renter-occupied housing units. Last I checked, they were at about 40-45% of all housing, up considerably from the 2000s. Evanston's public schools have grown tremendously as more and more families feel comfortable living in apartments and condos. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 was the only school district in Chicagoland wherein 2003 White students were previously not the largest group of students but in 2013 were the largest group. Development, I'd argue overdevelopment, has really altered the character of the community. That being said, change is the only constant in life.

Winnetka and Wilmette have also been grappling with pressures for greater density. It will be interesting to see how One Winnetka pans out once completed. I think Wilmette's long ago approval of large high-rise residential buildings along the Sheridan Road lakefront should be a source of regret. Most of the buildings are monstrosities, condominiums that cannot easily be vacated and renovated or demolished. The condominiums take ever longer to sell and trade at a discount due to HOA restrictions that resemble retirement homes.

Lake Forest is the opposite extreme. I think the city got burned in the 1980s when they approved massive subdivisions of old estates that are now chock full of unsellable '80s and '90s aging McMansions. Many used to 'east Lake Forest' and parts around Market Square might not realize that roughly more than half of Lake Forest's housing stock consists of homes built in the 1950s and after. Now, the city resists retail development to a fault, harming the city's tax base which will, without doubt, cause the city to lose its enviable status as having the lowest property taxes in the northern suburbs over time if there is no course correction.

It's a delicate balance for the developed suburbs for sure.

[OKParker]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Coincidentally, I had read both of these articles prior to your post. I am not from or invested in Oak Park, so I can't speak to this particular case. However, in Evanston and the rest of North Shore, we have struggled with demands for higher density development. I think Evanston's city council has really botched it badly. When I was younger, Downtown Evanston was very sleepy. It had been decimated by Old Orchard in the decades before my birth. Evanston started rubber stamping extremely large developments in the late 1960s. Things really started ramping up in the late '90s, severely altering the character of the downtown area and slowly creeping into the areas closest to the Chicago Avenue corridor. That area bears little resemblance to the Chicago Avenue of my youth.

Many people who are new to the area are attracted to the many new shops, restaurants, and the theater. However, many of the longtime Evanstonians resent the increasing density and the increasing proportion of renter-occupied housing units. Last I checked, they were at about 40-45% of all housing, up considerably from the 2000s. Evanston's public schools have grown tremendously as more and more families feel comfortable living in apartments and condos. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 was the only school district in Chicagoland wherein 2003 White students were previously not the largest group of students but in 2013 were the largest group. Development, I'd argue overdevelopment, has really altered the character of the community. That being said, change is the only constant in life.

Winnetka and Wilmette have also been grappling with pressures for greater density. It will be interesting to see how One Winnetka pans out once completed. I think Wilmette's long ago approval of large high-rise residential buildings along the Sheridan Road lakefront should be a source of regret. Most of the buildings are monstrosities, condominiums that cannot easily be vacated and renovated or demolished. The condominiums take ever longer to sell and trade at a discount due to HOA restrictions that resemble retirement homes.

Lake Forest is the opposite extreme. I think the city got burned in the 1980s when they approved massive subdivisions of old estates that are now chock full of unsellable '80s and '90s aging McMansions. Many used to 'east Lake Forest' and parts around Market Square might not realize that roughly more than half of Lake Forest's housing stock consists of homes built in the 1950s and after. Now, the city resists retail development to a fault, harming the city's tax base which will, without doubt, cause the city to lose its enviable status as having the lowest property taxes in the northern suburbs over time if there is no course correction.

It's a delicate balance for the developed suburbs for sure.

I really haven't been tracking the northside as much - what is your opinion on Evanston pre/post development?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by OKParker

I really haven't been tracking the northside as much - what is your opinion on Evanston pre/post development?

It has changed a lot. I am old enough to vaguely remember how sleepy it was. White Hen Pantry was a big deal—no joke. When they tore down the Dominick's to make way for expensive row homes you would have thought it was the end of the world. Little mom-and-pop stores have been slowly replaced by upscale eateries and chains. Anyway, the small town charm is pretty much gone from the Evanston lakefront. It still exists in Northwest Evanston along Central Street, which is a very popular area among home buyers.

Anyway, I miss the small town charm and suburban sensibilities. Old Evanstonians have been progressively replaced with more urban-oriented, new-moneyed, politically progressive, double income families. I often feel like Evanston is becoming the Marin County of the Midwest. It is bizarrely getting whiter, and even local politics are becoming characterized by virtue signaling. I tend to look upon these newer people suspiciously because they are still not the ones leading in philanthropy and in the community. Evanston has a very robust philanthropic ecosystem that is really only rivaled by Lake Forest. I also really dislike the amount of traffic congestion that has developed along Chicago Avenue in particular. It is agonizingly slow. I almost never drive it anymore. Ridge and Sheridan are still ok. Downtown Evanston also has tremendous wind tunnels created by the skyscrapers that have popped up in the downtown area. I was nearly blown down one day when making a delivery. I am 5'11" and 180lbs, so not a small dude.

What I like about Evanston post-development is that it is wealthier and more expensive. Property values have increased a lot since the early 90s, and Evanston has held up a lot better in the current market than all of the communities to the north. I like that there is more to do for adults and singles (bear in mind that it still operates on a suburban schedule, there aren't any late night watering holes). There are really nice concert venues like SPACE. Those types of venues didn't exist before. There are Starbucks on every corner and a local café within walking distance of each one.

On balance, I kind of dislike what the development has done to my neighborhood, Southeast Evanston, because I think it has become less hospitable for those looking for a traditional suburban environment without spending $$$$$$$. When I was on training wheels, you could play in the street and not worry about cars flying down because of Waze. Now, in my parents' neighborhood, you can still do that. However, they live on a dead-end street where the most recent home sales have been $1.8 mil, $1.9 mil, $2.3 mil, $2.75 mil, and $3.0 mil. I don't think you can really do that anymore on Michigan Avenue, Forest Avenue, etc. where there are more homes for $800k and under $2.0 mil.

I feel like this is scattered. Put simply, I have mixed feelings. There is still something for everyone in Evanston—if they have the money.