Old South Works Site Redevelopment-South Shore (Chicago, Burnham: salon, apartment, to rent)

[latikeriii]

Clout St: Major development at old South Works site gets thumbs up from aldermen

I actually remember when it shut down.

Do you think it'll be eventually a successful redevelopment? Honestly, I think it'll have a hard time drawing people with that type of income down there. Maybe they'll eventually add an express bus downtown but its too close to too many marginal areas and doesn't have good public transit besides the 79th an 87th street buses.

Thoughts?

[JPits312]

They actually talk about it in this video:
YouTube - Unfinished Business: Daniel Burnham and 21st Century Chicago

They speak of the South Works project at around the 1:50 mark. The rest of the video is interesting too. It would be nice to see it happen!

[DADASGIRL]

Best believe the income is there - there are plenty of families on the south side that are gainfully employed. Many others have a little more disposable income because they may be opting to rent instead of diving into a mortgage. You gotta remember that the south side is notorious for those courtyard complexes with 30-40 apartment units. Not to mention there are quite a few highrise condo complexes that extend from Hyde Park to South Shore. Plus plenty folks have kids - who will soon be teenagers who will manifest into shoppers themselves.

My point is that if they build it - people will come. I can almost predict the types of stores that should/could anchor a development like that. An Old Navy would do well - and specialty boutiques would too. No doubt they will employ some security firm to patrol and every corporate store will most likely have cameras to satisfy their insurances. But this is the obvious scenario - catering to the demographic that surrounds the area. What I'd love to see is a development that introduces elements not commonly found in urban settings - an art studio/salon - a rec center offering more than the usual sports - dance/gymnastics studio - healthy foods store w/cooking workshops - investment/fianance brokerage firm with educational classes -bookstore - these are truly the kinds of places that south siders often have to leave the neighborhood for.

One thing I;ve learned is that south siders arent quick to abandon their area - so why not build up the area? Will the U of C college kids opt to shop there versus the north side? Who knows? But the people that live there deserve it. I hope they get a WalMart too.

[oakparkdude]

The complete build-out is scheduled to take 50 years or so. Who knows what society or Chicago will be like in 50 years?

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

The complete build-out is scheduled to take 50 years or so. Who knows what society or Chicago will be like in 50 years?

One of the few cities with a coastline not covered in oil?

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

One of the few cities with a coastline not covered in oil?

can't decide which icon appropriately captures my approval of your sarcasm!

and yeah, Chicago's beaches, e coli and all, look pretty sweet compared to this:

Caught in the oil - The Big Picture - Boston.com

[IL2NC]

My Mom still speaks wistfully of growing up near the lake. It has always puzzled me that the southside lakefront stayed so relatively under-appreciated compared to the downtown and northward counterparts.