My office works consistently with City departments and developers to bring improvements and repairs to the Ward. These projects vary from new street lamps to remodeling or reconstructing old buildings. Below is a list of the most recent projects I have been working to bring to our Ward.
9th & State Development: This lot was the former home of the New Ritz Hotel SRO, which was demolished in Summer 2008. The City will be issuing a RFP (request for proposals) for the sale of the property through the Department of Community Development, which is looking for proposals from mixed-use residential, retail, office, educational, or institutional uses, with retail establishments on the ground floor. This provides an excellent opportunity to further the work we have pushed for together to constantly improve our Ward.
1136 S. Wabash: A city-owned parking lot currently resides in this location, but a redevelopment agreement is in the works for October 2009 for the sale of the property. The space will be used for construction of student housing, making the colleges and Universities of our Ward attractive options for students seeking an urban environment.
1600 S. block of Wabash, East side: The city recently purchased this lane and will begin demolition in order to clear the way for a new park, operated by the Chicago Park District. Construction is slated to begin in 2011 and is a perfect example of our work to bring more green space to our Ward.
600 S. Dearborn: A small plaza will be constructed at this location, Prinder’s Row Park, by the end of August. This again is another example of expanding green space in our Ward.
Wabash Avenue Streetscaping: South Wabash from Wacker to Roosevelt will, by the end of the summer, be resurfaced, have new sidewalks, and be adorned with state-of-the-art landscaped planters, and new light poles. In addition the El structure will be repainted and its lighting insulated. My office worked diligently to secure the TIF funding to bring about the beautification and increased safety of this section of our Ward.
Michigan Avenue Streetscaping: This complete overhaul of South Michigan from Roosevelt to 24th Street was recently finished. Street resurfacing and new sidewalks were only the beginning of my vision for this stretch of our Ward. Planter beds, new light poles with banners, kiosks, and hanging planter baskets provided the finishing touches to yet another redevelopment I pursued on behalf of the residents of the 2nd Ward.
Congress Parkway Streetscaping: Beginning in Spring 2010, Congress Parkway will undergo massive changes for safety and aesthetic purposes, all in order to keep the 2nd Ward the City’s most fulfilling to live in. Construction for this project has a wide range, including: street resurfacing, lane reconfiguration and walk signal modernization for added safety, median and roadside planting, street trees, wider sidewalks, the installation of ornamental LED lighting in medians, and the lighting of currently dark archways and covered sidewalks, again for safety’s sake. I have been continually pushing for state-of-the-art and green technologies for this project in order to maximize the prospective benefits.
Near South Transportation and Parking Study: This study, already underway, is aimed at analyzing automobile, bike, and pedestrian traffic facilities, transit facilities, and parking capacities. Our Ward, being the heart of the downtown loop and business district as well as home to many sporting and entertainment venues, bears a heavy daily traffic burden. I pushed for this study in order to come up with a sensible and inexpensive way to curb the heavy traffic in addition to remodeling our transportation facilities.
Union Station: The Union Station Head House, located at 210 N. Canal, is set for rehabilitation and redevelopment. The eight story building will be become a twenty-six story center for office and retail space, hotel lodging, conference rooms, residential condominiums, and over 250 below ground parking spaces. This development not only brings a splendid building but jobs, living space, and businesses to our Ward.
Old Post Office: The building formerly home to the Post Office at 401-439 W. Van Buren will be utterly transformed into another focal point for business and residence. When complete the building will contain 300 housing units, 230 hotel rooms, 825 parking spaces, 450,000 square feet of office space, and 75,00o square feet of retail space. Once again this development I have striven for will bring jobs, businesses, and more residents to our Ward.
