Chicago’s development party started to wind down at the end of the last decade. The new one may bring the hangover.
From Crains Chicago
After a building boom that has stretched the boundaries of downtown and put a record number of cranes in the air, new construction projects are forecast to fall 10 percent this year, according to New York-based research firm Dodge Data & Analytics. If that prediction is right, it would mark the third annual decrease in four years and the biggest single-year drop in construction starts since the Great Recession. (read more)
Over the past several years, a wave of new construction has redefined Chicago’s famous skyline as well as brought tall and dense developments to a number of overwise low-rise neighborhoods. New luxury apartments continue to be the driving force behind the Windy City’s vertical growth spurt, but some condominium, office, hotel, and educational projects are also in the mix. (read more)
It’s been almost four years since Obama selected Jackson Park. Here’s where the $500 million project stands.
As a new year begins in Chicago, the upcoming Obama Presidential Center appears to be no closer to breaking ground on the city’s South Side. The Obama Foundation first announced its Jackson Park site nearly four years ago, but there is no firm timeline for when the controversial center will start construction—let alone open.
The Obama Presidential Center gained city approval in spring 2018. At the time, organizers said they hoped to break ground later that year and open sometime in 2021. Since then, the Obama Foundation has yet to release an updated timetable to the public. (read more)
Chicago became the birthplace of the skyscraper in 1885, and more than a century later developers keep adding to its distinctive skyline.
Today, Crescent Heights’ NEMA Chicago, JDL Development’s One Chicago and Related Midwest’s 400 North Lakeshore Drive are among a new crop of skyscrapers in the works that will make their mark. (read more)
Good-government activists long have pointed to Richard M. Daley’s midnight bulldozer raid that destroyed Meigs Field as a classic example of not serving the public interest.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has pointed to another abuse: so-called aldermanic prerogative, in which local political concerns bigfoot citywide needs. Lightfoot has vowed to end the practice. (read more)
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL – The Rich Township High School District 227 Board of Education has voted to approve $105 million to finance several key construction and renovation projects at Rich Central and Rich South High Schools, district officials confirmed. (read more)
Chicago’s current tally of 33 high-rise buildings under construction can add another large project to the mix as crews officially break ground on the 74-story, Helmut Jahn-designed skyscraper known as 1000M.
Although co-developers Time Equities, JK Equities, and Oak Capitals hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in October, work at 1000 S. Michigan Avenue didn’t start in earnest until the last weekend of November—after the project landed its first building permit. (read more)
On Friday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined state, federal, and airline officials to break ground on an extension of one of O’Hare International Airport’s most heavily used runway. The $334 million project will add 3,000 feet to runway 9R/27L and improve passenger service by increasing O’Hare’s capacity to handle more frequent flights by larger, long-haul aircraft. (read more)
Downtown’s upcoming Bank of America Tower is approaching its final height of 815 feet along the south branch of the Chicago River. To mark the milestone, its developers celebrated a ceremonial topping-off event earlier this week and shared a fresh batch of construction photos with Curbed Chicago.
While the 55-story concrete core will soon rise no higher, work continues at 110 N. Wacker as the structural steel catches up. The topping-off ceremony comes just over one year after crews poured 3,300 cubic yards of concrete to create the office tower’s massive base. (read more)
Walsh Construction and joint venture partner Fluor Corporation are starting the project with the construction of a bypass bridge to ease congestion on the 100-year-old rail line in Chicago’s densely populated Lakeview neighborhood, on the city’s northside.
Additional Phase One work will also include the reconstruction of nearly two miles of tracks and the replacement of four CTA stations. CTA trains will remain operational throughout the duration of the project. (read more)
