Edgewater/Andersonville - Tap Into Your Community

• needchange

  Waveland partners kept saying that the new building would be no higher than that of the current building, low and behold, its higher than the current building by 3 stories…
  I still believe that there is not enough parking for this building, located where it is, in relation to all of the residential 24 hour permit parking that is now on the streets surrounding this property. This has disaster written all over it. On the bright side, that building needs to come down!!!

• Mak

  More parking = more cars. Let’s not encourage households to have two cars. People should be fighting to get Ashland BRT up here.

  And I don’t know how tall the hospital is, but more stories does not necessarily mean it is taller.

• Jeff

  I’m a long time resident who received the zoning change notice. The zoning change has long been anticipated and it affects only the Ashland portion of the property. The proposed single-family homes that will replace the parking garage, and the open space proposed for the buffer between the houses and the highrise should be a welcome addition to the site and the neighborhood. As for the height of the highrise, Waveland claims it will be no higher than the existing structure, but this takes into account the various mechanical penthouses, heliport, etc. that were added to the tops of the buildings over the years, some of which are not viewable from the ground. That’s how they’re getting 12 stories into their proposal to replace the existing 8 and 9 story buildings. As for the retail space – I think this is a bad idea. Ashland is primarily residential and Clark is the retail corridor, which presently has some significant vacant and under-utilized commercial/retail space on it (former Ace hardware, various storefronts and some larger buildings just north of Ridge). There really is no need for new retail space, especially off the beaten path of Clark St. Rather, what the community really needs is a walk-in/immediate care clinic. Edgewater Medical Center’s ER was ALWAYS busy, even when the hospital itself was dying. We really have nothing in this area anymore for a walk-in clinic or urgent care center. The nearest facilities are Swedish Covenant, 2.5 miles southwest, Weiss over by the lakefront between Lawrence and Montrose, and then St. Francis to the north, up in Evanston. All of these facilities are pretty remote for an area as densely populated as Edgewater. An urgent care center is needed and should do well financially, especially if operated as an outpost of a local Medical Center, where they could refer patients with more complex needs.

  And finally, 214 “luxury rental units” is really dense for this particular area and it’s currently very unlikely that the market is going to grow enough to absorb these units any time soon, especially at the price points that have been suggested. The location is just a little too far for many people who would take the L to work, which is a 6-block walk away. What would be a better fit, at this level of density, would be a senior-focused complex, which would reduce the parking needs and provide a needed opportunity for the numerous local residents who would prefer to age in place and remain in the neighborhood without the responsibility of home/condo ownership in their senior years. There has been some suggestion of an LGBT senior project – personally, I would rather see a senior project that is more reflective of the neighborhood and welcoming to ALL people, regardless of orientation or ethnicity. This is what has made this neighborhood a great place to live all along, as well as a successfully diverse community where no one group claims “ownership.”

  Now, if only we can find a credible developer, devoid of corruption and political cronyism, who understands what the community actually needs — and is willing to work to that goal, the EMC site could be a true asset and centerpiece of the community. This would be a welcome development to help mitigate the fraud, then neglect and blight that has been the EMC history for a dozen years now. And let’s not forget that the TIF money attached to the EMC redevelopment is viewed as an entitlement to the developers, who want to use these tax dollars to help prepare the site. Okay, fine, but then give us something we actually need instead of a project that meets only the developer’s financial goals without regard to what we are left with at the end of the process.

• Spugi di Savoia

  There most certainly is a need for more retail space in Andersonville. First, Ridge is the end of Andersonville. Pedestrians are not going to cross Ridge to continue shopping. So any of those buildings really do not count. Second, many of the existing spaces are too small for anything other than, oh, say an antique store. Well gee… like Andersonville needs another one of those! And third, if you look closely, you’ll see that an unusually large percentage of space in Andersonville isn’t retail at all, it’s restaurants. So if you want to buy shoes (sorry Alamo, you never have what I need), mens clothes (really? Bucky Gear is the only mens clothing store with the number of gay men in Mandersonville?), anything kitchen related (Wooden Spoon you are adorable, but not practical), well hell, just anything REASONABLY priced and for ordinary, everyday use, you need to get in the car and drive… to Target, to Evanston, to Lincolnwood Towne Center, to Village Crossing. Andersonville needs some real retail spaces like Lincoln Park has along North and Clybourn, not just gift shops that sell one-of-a-kind items found in someone’s basement in Michigan. CB2, Bed Bath & Beyond, World Market, DSW, Marshall’s and yes, Trader Joe’s, are just a few stores that would keep retail dollars from flowing out of the neighborhood. And none of them would move into any of the existing spaces, not even that former Ace Hardware space. Oh… and it would be nice to be able to see a movie in the neighborhood too rather than drive to Evanston. So 14,000 sq feet of retail is kind of underwhelming. Not nearly enough.

  • Jeff

    @ Spugi – My comment that Andersonville doesn’t need more retail space is site-specific to EMC. What you’re describing are primarily Big Box retailers, which is more difficult in built-up, older neighborhoods such as ours. I agree that we could use some of the businesses you’ve described, esp a Trader Joe’s, which would be very well received in this area. Unfortunately, the planned retail space for the EMC project is, as you say, ‘not nearly enough’ for a project of that size. In addition, the EMC space is on Ashland, which is still off the beaten path of Clark street – and, to your other point, one would have to cross Ashland Av. to reach it, indeed another busy street.