There’s been some groaning on Yo over the years over the large, ugly edifices that parking structures create at street level. Why not just bury the parking structure? What’s so difficult about that?
It can be expensive, for one, but there are benefits to burying parking. In Streeterville, for example, where outdoor green space comes at a premium, MCL Companies is putting in a new public park in the lot adjacent to ParkView Condominiums. Sales agent Susan Devine says the developer is in the process of excavating the site and should have the park finished by the end of summer.
The skeptic in me says, “Great, but who’s going to pay for park maintenance? The condo association won’t want to pay for a public park.” But Devine assures me that the park won’t be turned over to the condo association or the Chicago Park District; instead, MCL Companies plans to maintain it in the future. It’s not uncommon for developers to offer landscaped green space, but in many cases the green space is either private or it’s turned over to the park district.
Could this be an instance of genuine developer altruism?
Below are a couple more park renderings from Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates.
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