In response to the question I posed yesterday regarding the importance of LEED certification, reader Matt, who describes himself as a LEED accredited professional, offered a reasoned response. Matt acknowledges some of the flaws in the certification process but argues that there's still a place for USGBC because it ensures a level of quality control and looks at information that the average customer probably isn't willing to bother with.

The reason for LEED Certification, as with any certification, is that the average consumer is not aware and doesn't have the time to research every green component of a building. Therefore it's helpful that there is an outside agency requiring developers to add theses features. I would want an outside authority (i.e. the building department) to inspect an end product before I bought it to ensure a certain quality to the product. I would argue that LEED might not have their system right but that it greatly encourages strides in the right direction.

As, pointed out I do not think that LEED weighs all of the points accurately to portray the environmental impact of each of the points associated with the ranking system. However, if a building is LEED certified the consumer can be assured that certain hoops were jumped through. The USGBC should do a better job at weighing the environmental impacts on the points. I think more recent ranking systems such as the New Homes ranking system does a better job of this that others.

Read Matt's full comment here.

"Just walking around Evanston, you encounter so many homeless people. At first, you feel sorry for them. But Evanston is a unique place… People actually get to KNOW the homeless people. By their name, by their attitude, and just by who they are. Homlessness in Evanston is not uncommon, but what is uncommon is the friendship between the homeless and people passing by."

- rockinroller1028, a YouTube user commenting on Joe Zekas' "Homeless in Evanston" video from November 2006 (featured above).

The very first comment on this video, from more than a year ago, supports rockinroller's claim: "I've bought that guy some Doritos," said JSfan.

Levois asked for it, and Irishpirate awoke from his drunken slumber last night to respond to Joe Zekas' driving tour of Kenmore Avenue in Uptown. Joe went on a nostalgia trip, recalling the "war zone" that was Kenmore Avenue in which developers took back properties with "hand-to-hand combat."

Irishpirate agreed with Joe that Kenmore has gone from "Desolation Row" to a street where "there are actually people coming home from work," but he accused Joe of understating Uptown's desolation in the 1980s. (Joe responded with accounts of flying bodies and stolen sod.)

Irishpirate also took a moment to dish on the pending Wilson Yard development. We haven't addressed that project too much on Yo, but we constantly link to articles covering Wilson Yard in our YoChicago news feed.

As for Wilson Yard it may be about to start or not. We peon taxpayers are not worthy of being informed of what our tax dollars are doing. Target seems to be close to signing a deal and the two towers of subsidized housing may not be far behind. One tower for seniors and one tower for families. Ultimately I don't expect either tower to cause many problems because generally Holsten Management does a good job managing subsidized housing. If only through years of learning how to the hard way.

My biggest issue is the idea of building a major retailer and NOT directly tying in a needed renovated EL stop. Absolute criminal stupidity that could only happen in a Chicago where "da mare" is more concerned with 100 percent aldermanic support than real planning. The lil' guy must have a very fragile 'wittle' ego to crave absolute slavish devotion so wholeheartedly.

The infrastructure of this city is slowly falling apart and he is planning Olympics, which I support, and trying to figure out how to stay two steps ahead of those nasty Fed G-men. It must be difficult running a city and making sure your extended family does well financially with all those feds poking around.

Go Feds!

"The view included a partially demolished balcony with concrete chunks lying about, as though the concrete work crew left work early that day. Some view!"

- Reader Sam, on the hazards of dining in a building that's still under construction. Mark and I walked through Sixteen during our trip to the Trump International Hotel and Tower in April. You can see more videos from that trip at the YoChicago YouTube channel.

It looks like Trump is just about ready to "trump" the Aon Center and become the second-tallest building in Chicago (and the third-tallest in the country). Keep an eye out for some construction updates in the near future.

… Of course, I don't think most gay people care who moves into our 'hoods as long as they don't make us take down the risque photos of half-naked men in our store windows. Unlike some of the people in this video, my motivation for wanting boystown to stay gay isn't really out of any dislike for straight people. It's mainly because if I'm surrounded by other gay folk, I'm less likely to get the crap beaten out of me for being the only guy walking home at night who looks gay. I doubt the Puerto Ricans are afraid the yuppies are going to beat and mug them if their numbers dwindle, but perhaps they would argue that they're being robbed in another sense as property taxes and rent go up.

In the end, I don't care what color the people are in my neighborhood as long as I feel that I can be myself and that I'm safe. Unfortunately, I haven't found poor minorities (or poor people in general) to be very gay friendly. So, I guess I'm stuck looking at places in Lakeview and fighting the good fight to keep out those Lincoln Park breeders with their Range Rovers and screaming kids. I'm all for fair housing laws, but where is the law to keep those brats from ruining my right to an evening of sushi and overpriced cosmopolitans without a crying baby at the next table?

Commenter Danny, drawing some parallels between his choice to live in Boystown and the desires of some Humboldt Park residents to prevent gentrification in their own neighborhood.

"I think this sort of architecture is coming from the desire to do something interesting with balconies. There are too many new construction condo buildings with balconies on the front that just create these overwhelming horizontal shelves. This is an attempt to break up that massing by having the strong horizontals blend into vertical elements. This creates visual ambiguity, and doesn't give your eyes a simple place to rest in the composition…"

"It's ridiculous to say the use of brick is exclusively related to the fire protection requirements of the Chicago Building Code. There are literally hundreds of materials that can be used. But if you try to get, say, a rain-screen metal panel building built in a typical North Side neighborhood, you can expect to make waves with the neighbors, block clubs, Alderman's zoning committee, etc.

I'd love to see the architecture of low-rise condos in Chicago lifted to a higher level, but the economics ususally don't work out for developers. We have a hard enough time convincing clients to use a curtain wall system instead of a window wall system on large towers with hundreds of units! Even Donald Trump skimped on his curtain wall, opting for the ugly Chinese glass you see on the Trump Tower today. It's sad that the city is getting mucked up by a bunch of bland, uninspiring, condo buildings, but the economics of building housing is the major culprit."

–UptownR, in two separate comments, lamenting architectural trends in low-rise condo developments and challenging Sheridan B's assertion that brick balconies are popular because they are made of non-combustible material

"As a recent purchaser in Lincoln Park, I think the problem here is that the building sticks out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood admired for its historically charming brick and limestone victorian 3 flats.

Nobody wants to dump 800K on a condo that looks like an office complex, especially in a slow uncertain market."

- frankyfourfingers (winner of our new "Reader Name of the Day Award"), offering a theory on why none of the duplexes at 2736 N Southport Ave have sold.

"Uptown and Edgewater are definitely having a problem with high-rise low-income housing broken up into small units. The only thing that will EVENTUALLY start to limit this type of housing stock is that these types of buildings are VERY expensive to maintain in the long run. You can see what high-rise condos and co-ops charge for monthly assessments, and all of the Low Income Housing Tax Credits and HUD subsidies can't keep up. The buildings will eventually deteriorate, become a public hazard, and be raised, though it will take decades. In fact, that Gill Park Cooperative in Lakeview looks like it may be ending it's useful life without a multi-million dollar re-hab soon. That building is a firetrap nightmare with a crumbling facade. Most condo buildings can't even keep up with those types of repairs without socking their owners with huge special assessments."

–UptownR, identifying some inauspicious trends in the North Side housing stock

"The eastern end of Pilsen does seem to be "gentrifying" at a decent or indecent pace depending on your point of view. As for the western end the change seems much slower. I'd have to go down to Cullerton and Sangamon to get a better idea of what is happening right around there, as I don't recall being there for years. I'll put it on my biking agenda for warmer weather. The best way I know to see lotsa hoods is by bike. Generally, better retail and restaurants follow new residents into a hood. The only exception I can think of is the "west loop" where fine restaurants largely preceded new residents and acted as a "draw".

The "good or evil" of gentrification generally takes decades to fully occur. Lincoln Park starting "taking off" in the late 60's or so and even twenty years later there was residual gang crap going on. Lakeview experienced the same basic phenomena only a 1/2 decade or decade later.

Wicker Park, Bucktown, Uptown etc still have serious issues with crime, gangs, and in Uptown's case retail also. That doesn't mean they aren't improving.

The idea that neighborhoods change overnight is largely wrong. Whatever is happening at Sangamon and Cullerton will take decades to unfold.

I'll check back in 2028 and see how things look."

- IrishPirate, keeping a cool head in this weekend's hottest thread. We still haven't been able to track down a building permit or MLS listing for that building, by the way.

"That is an appropriate location on Belmont for that size of building. The building that is being torn down is ok, but what Lakeview and the city need is DENSITY.

Bring it on."

-irishpirate, commenting on our recent post about The Winchester, a high-rise planned for 3175 N Hudson in Lake View.

The project was on the market a year ago as H3177, but the layout and exterior have since been retooled by a new marketing team. Yo's readers are still split on the development, with some calling it a "faux building," and others (like irishpirate) highlighting the positive aspects.