We knew that Streeterville was going high-rise crazy, but we’re still a little gobsmacked at the sheer number of condos up for grabs. In 2005, some 1,512 housing units were sold in Streeterville, up from 1,055 in 2004, according to the Chicago Association of Realtors.
That all adds up to a fairly crowded Streeterville. From what we can tell, residents feel the tension between wanting to live in the thick of the action, but not wanting the neighborhood to get too congested. Are they trying to have their cake and eat it too?
Jim Houston, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, puts it thus: “At a certain point, God’s country is no longer God’s country when it becomes so congested that you can’t get around and you can’t see the sun.”
Houston tells Yo that he doesn’t think the neighborhood has quite reached that stage, but he thinks that the potential is there.
So how do you develop a master plan for Heaven?
Actually last year SOAR released its Streeterville neighborhood plan, and I found it to be a very comprehensive and pragmatic approach that if followed will both allow for large amounts of continuing high rise development, while also balancing the needs for a very livable and sustainable community. Then there is the Fordham Spire model – finally, residents are beginning to turn the corner and realize that taller, thinner buildings block less light and views and allow for more open space than squat, wide, broad buildings. I hope this same mindset will come into play at LR Development’s upcoming project at approximately 500 N. Lake Shore Drive. There, a thin 750′-800′ tower might work much better than a 600′ building that stretches for the entire block. Hopefully, the venerable and skilled firm of Perkins and Will is still designing that project (the proposal was apparently briefly shelved while the Tall Tower telecommunications tower was proposed on the site. This tall and thin trend is such a welcome departure from the thinking of yesteryear. This change, along with the city’s also welcome newfound acceptance and appreciation of modern, innovative design are fantastic developments.