Mayor Lightfoot’s ‘Fair Housing Blueprint’ sets sights on zoning reform and eviction protections: "Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to root out systemic racism from Chicago’s housing landscape by encouraging construction of affordable new homes, reshuffling funding priorities, and disrupting eviction patterns... A 67-page report details eight goals to 'address the City’s housing segregation, disparities in access to opportunity, and history of inequitable investment.'" (The Daily Line)
Sun-Times Editorial Board: its time to reevaluate plans to sell the Thompson Center: "The state must face that it may not get $200 million for the building. And to increase its redevelopment possibilities, reusing the building—not tearing it down—should remain an option." (Chicago Sun-Times)
Tribune op-ed: One Central megadevelopment across from Soldier Field is a bad deal: "As is, the proposed One Central project in Chicago would give private developers an unprecedented $6.5 billion of taxpayer money plus 34 acres of land in exchange for a public infrastructure project no public agency identified as a major need until after developers concocted the plan." (Chicago Tribune)
Magnificent Mile faces mounting challenges following pandemic and civil unrest: After decades at the center of Chicago’s retail, hospitality, and real estate worlds, North Michigan Avenue faces one of its greatest challenges. More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Magnificent Mile has a large number of vacant and boarded-up storefronts, at a time when the economy is struggling to rebound. (Chicago Tribune)
For Chicago's hotels, recovery may still be a long way out: "For more than a year, Chicago hotels have had to weather an unrelenting storm that has seen room bookings and earnings plummet... A recent report offers a comprehensive perspective at local Chicago hotel debt and delinquency." (RE Journals)
Speaking of hotels... The Loop's historic Blackstone Hotel is for sale: "In one of the largest local hotel listings since the start of the pandemic, a joint venture of New York-based Fundamental Advisors and Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group hired the Chicago office of brokerage Hodges Ward Elliott to sell the 335-room hotel at 636 S. Michigan Avenue." (Crain's Chicago Business)
Amazon grocery store still will anchor redevelopment of Peoples Gas site in Old Irving Park: "An Amazon Fresh grocery store, a Panera Bread restaurant with a drive-through facility and a Burlington coat/clothing store have been announced as tenants for the proposed “Shops at Six Corners” center on the former Peoples Gas site at 3955 N. Kilpatrick Avenue." (Nadig News)
Riverwalk vendors are open for business: "The city has allowed three vendors to open their spaces Friday: Island Party Hut, Beat Kitchen on the River, and City Winery. More Riverwalk vendors will open on a weekly or biweekly basis through May, when the attraction becomes fully operational for the summer season." (Block Club Chicago)
Metra adds trains as more people return to the office: "Metra is adding more trains because of an uptick in the number of people returning to the office. But it’s still a slow roll towards normalcy." (CBS Chicago)
