Chicago Fire wants to build a 32-acres training facility with a three-story building and seven soccer pitches in Belmont Cragin: "According to the proposal—posted on the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) website—the Fire are looking to build seven soccer pitches and a three-story performance center that would serve as headquarters for the first team and youth academy. The club would embark on a renovation to Hanson Stadium, and a seasonal inflatable dome also is proposed for one of the fields." (Chicago Tribune)
The good times are rolling for downtown apartment landlords, who are seeing a V-shaped recovery: "After taking a precipitous plunge last year, the downtown multifamily market is on a steep ascent amid a flurry of leasing activity in the first quarter. Many tenants pounced on irresistible deals landlords offered during the winter to fill up buildings that lost droves of tenants over the summer. With COVID-19 vaccinations still on the rise, government pandemic restrictions loosening quickly and companies calling employees back to their downtown offices, the tenants' market may soon be over, if it isn’t already." (Crian's Chicago Business)
...But the construction industry's supply chain woes could spoil the party: "A nationwide squeeze on supply chains and manufacturing is now wreaking havoc on builders, and it's spilling over into the commercial real estate sector. Crucial components for construction such as drywall, electrical conduit, sheet metal and copper are not only hard to come by, but rising demand amid a recovering economy has sent prices for those and other items soaring. The problem stems from what many in the construction industry describe as a perfect storm of factors—some tied to COVID and others unrelated—that have added a new layer of uncertainty about the recovery for developers and companies alike just as the fog of the past year is starting to lift." (Crain's Chicago Business)
Chicago's Boystown neighborhood rebranded as Northalsted to be more inclusive: "Banners promoting Chicago's North Side LGBTQ enclave as Boystown have been removed following months of efforts to formally ditch the nickname for not being inclusive of women and nonbinary people. The Boystown banners, hung from lamp posts along the strip of North Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to Irving Park Road, were replaced over the weekend. The new banners were installed Friday, branding the area as 'Northalsted, Chicago’s Proudest Neighborhood.'" (Block Club Chicago)
The "Boystown" banners have been taken down along North Halsted Street.Shutterstock
Effort to landmark Muddy Waters' North Kenwood home advances: "The North Kenwood two-flat where blues giant Muddy Waters lived for two decades is one step closer to becoming an official city of Chicago landmark. The Chicago Commission on Landmarks voted unanimously Thursday to recommend that the brick structure at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. get preliminary designation as a landmark, agreeing that it deserves to be recognized and celebrated as the epicenter of the modern musical tradition of the blues." (WTTW Chicago)
A new Boys & Girls Club will open at city's controversial police and fire academy campus in West Garfield Park: "An $8 million youth development center at the academy campus will host Boys & Girls Club programs focused on sports, recreation, academic assistance, wellness and leadership development, according to a Mayor's Office news release. The clubhouse, which will be developed in a building on the campus, 4400-block of W. Chicago Ave., is expected to serve at least 1,000 children and teens each year once it opens in early 2023, said Mimi LeClair, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago president and CEO." (Block Club Chicago)
Chicago enters June 2021 with 12 construction cranes in the air: "We lost none of our cranes since last month, and added one, at The Gateway Apartments in the Illinois Medical District... We’re holding out hope that 1000M gets going again soon." (BuildingUpChicago)
