In the late '70s this River North park was a forlorn patch, with a horde of hookers around its perimeter and a drug market at its center.

When I posted last month about the park that MCL Companies is currently constructing in the lot directly to the west of ParkView Condominiums, the 47-story tower at 505 N McClurg Ct in Streeterville, reader Dragonslayer rightly pointed out that trees have been planted, and the park appears to be nearing completion.

I took a walk over to the River East this morning to check up on how the park is progressing and to have a look at ParkView, which was looking pretty gloomy in our most recent photos from last winter. From the color of the glass and yellow balconies to the blending of curved and straight lines, this building certainly manages to effectively differentiate itself from the other Streeterville high-rises.

- Rate and review ParkView at NewHomeNotebook.com.

It was a great day to enjoy Chicago's lakefront parks, and I took a few minutes away from the serious business of Yo-ing to do just that.

Here's an item from earlier this month: Popular Science gave Chicago in the number-nine slot in its America's 50 Greenest Cities feature.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, the magazine evaluated 50 cities in four categories: electricity, transportation, green living and recycling / green perspective.

Portland, Ore., was number one, followed by San Francisco and Boston. Popular Science singled out Chicago for its 12,000 acres of parks and public green space; the city led the Midwest in the rankings, beating out Minneapolis (11) and Milwaukee (22).

Six cities got individual write-ups in the magazine for particularly sustainable urban design elements. Chicago's (the second item in this slide show) described the cogeneration processes used in some city's power plants.

Chicago’s claim to the 2016 Summer Olympics is anything but a lock. The city faces stiff competition from six Asian, European and South American countries, and Mayor Daley and the U.S. Olympic Committee still have plenty of hurdles to clear before they can declare victory in their bid.

But if the City of Broad Shoulders does succeed in bringing the Summer Games to the shores of Lake Michigan, one thing is certain: The South Side will see a surge of construction the likes of which have not been seen since the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

At the center of this titanic undertaking will stand the Olympic Village, a $1 billion mixed-use development located on 105 acres of lakefront property immediately south of McCormick Place, in Chicago's Near South Side.

In an official application (PDF) submitted to the International Olympic Committee on Jan. 15, the USOC described the village as a collection of “new, accessible residential buildings that can host a minimum of 16,000 athletes, coaches and team officials in a peaceful courtyard setting.” A slew of amenities including a promenade of shops, clubs, movie theaters and concert stages will accompany the residences, the application states.

(more…)

During a brief visit to Walton on the Park's sales center at 1 W Walton St, we snapped this photo of the impressive scale model in the lobby. In the foreground, you can see the three stately homes that make up the Mansions on the Park. Millie Rosenbloom, of Baird & Warner, is marketing the three homes adjacent to the high-rise.

The mansions average about 10,000 square feet each, and each is available "as-is" for upwards of $4 million. We've kept an eye on these three fixer-uppers for a while now, but no buyer has materialized yet. During a recent tour, a Baird & Warner sales rep confirmed interest from private buyers and developers alike.

In today’s market, it’s the rare developer who can build something truly unique into an established neighborhood. The Byrne Development Group, a builder with roots in Edgewater and Andersonville, is taking the lead with a bold property type.

“Townhomes are hard to do,” says Dave Camp, a broker associate with Sudler Sotheby’s International Realty. “You can’t find parcels to build on.”

Camp is marketing the Ardmore Academy Rowhomes, a five-home development by Byrne at 1403 – 1411 W. Ardmore Ave. in the heart of Edgewater Glen. The neighborhood is just west of Edgewater proper – close enough to enjoy both Lake Michigan during the day and Andersonville’s social scene in the evening.

(more…)

There's a new place to party in Hoffman Estates. Yesterday the village council approved a new ordinance that opens up the Sears Centre Arena's expansive 2,500-car parking lot for outdoor events. This is a big win for suburbia, which frequently runs into problems balancing commercial development alongside community space. From the Daily Herald article:

The use of parking lots for events is common at other arenas. The Sears Centre opened last year, and spokesman Michael Millar said the law would help attract new spectators with summer draws, including RV shows or a food-themed event like a rib festival. Events would have to end at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 9 p.m. on other days.

It's easy to see why the builders of 1218 - 1220 W Carmen Ave, a 12-unit condo development in Uptown, oriented the project toward Carmen Playlot Park next door. Aiming for leafy seclusion is understandable, but one wonders why the development can't give the street a little more love.

The street-facing side of the building not only has no doors, it has the kind of small, perfunctory windows that usually overlook cramped alleyways. At the very least, the developer missed out on some views over a pretty street (although, just east of this building, where the commercial buildings along Broadway start, Carmen Avenue gets a little less pretty).

The development features simplex and duplex condos with two or three bedrooms. Jenifer Domenico, of @properties, has three online listings for the project, ranging from the $380s to the $440s.

Much ink has been spilled about the overhaul of Cabrini-Green, the notorious public housing project. Last night we wandered through parts of Cabrini, where a few people sat in doorways or lugged grocery bags into the sagging, rotting buildings. Walking south, we came across The Hudson, a mid-rise condo building that's part of Parkside of Old Town, the mixed-income community that will replace part of Cabrini with 790 low- and mid-rise homes.

The Hudson is on Division Street, just to the west of Seward Park, and across the street from a shopping center. Condos will have one or two bedrooms and one or two bathrooms. Prices on market-rate units start in the $300s.

Last we checked, construction on the building was slated to wrap up next summer.