Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Target/Wilson Yard Story In The News

Well, lil' ol' Uptown was a media sensation Wednesday. It seems someone besides the News-Star discovered there's life north of Irving Park Road. We're quite dizzy from all the attention. Some of the many major media stories are linked below. If you know of any others, please link to them in the comments.

We are grateful to the reader who sent in the picture above, taken Wednesday. (Quite a change from a few days ago!) Now that Holsten may have money to pay the bills, which hasn't always been the case recently, it seems Wilson Yard was all aflutter with people and construction equipment.

We'll see how this one plays out. We've seen the heavy machinery come and go several times this year already.

39 comments:

  1. "According to the developer, Wilson Yard has excellent access to public transit, a campus park, and a rehabilitated CTA rail station that is planned for 2010."

    Huh? A rehabilitated CTA rail station in 2010. This I gotta see.

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  2. Well 2010 seems about right always two years in the future for these things. Plenty of time for a “new financial crisis” in the city to cause the plans to change

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  3. Perhaps the threat of the lawsuit lit a fire under Holstein??? Our own inland sea they like to call Wilson Yards has finally been drained this morning. Must have got himself a reeeeeealy big pump.

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  4. "a rehabilitated CTA rail station that is planned for 2010."


    I'm with you protestantworker. This I gotta see. The last line we were sold as a community was that CTA was planning a new rail station at both Montrose and Broadway and also at Lawrence and Broadway. This announcement was what helped Truman College get their TIF funding (not approved by the community, but "presented" by Ald. Shiller)to build a private, no access to the public parking garage with public funds. Now the rail station is being described in the press as "rehabilitated?"

    Does this mean that the rail station idea lasted just long enough for Helen's TIF announcement or is this publication not quite up on all the facts? Sadly, my bet's on Ald. Helen Shiller's chronic dishonesty.

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  5. A true-blue "neighborhood guy" Chicagoan would refer to it as "That Wilson Yards."

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  6. So what exactly is your anal retentive point billyjoe? There were the the upper and lower yards collectively and colloquially as the Wilson Yards, yes plural.

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  7. Most formal pronunciations refer to it as "Wilson Yard." Im sure that's the official name for the project.

    My point is that local dialect ("Chicagoese," if you will) tends to add an "s" to words where it doesnt belong, hence "Wilson Yards," as many commenters are calling it.

    Sorry, but I have a penchant for noticing this kind of stuff. I find such grammatical blips pretty interesting--and even hilarious at times.

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  8. Like your consistent omission of the apostrophe in "doesn't"?

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  9. What's with this "undisclosed amount" BS?

    If Holsten is using ANY public funding, he should be obligated to let us know how much he got from Target.

    Additionally, there's this, from this

    In 2001, the city created a tax increment financing (TIF) district to help spur economic development in the area, and purchased the Wilson Yard property from the CTA. The project is comprised of a mix of retail, restaurants, residential [*snicker* - yo], offices, and a 700-car parking garage.

    Is that the Truman College garage, or is there another garage?

    I'm so very happy that Helen has decided that she knows best how to use OUR money to fund HER projects, and needn't worry about giving her constituents comprehensive information.

    I'm heading to Fix Wilson Yard to make another donation, right now.

    By the way, didn't Ron Huberman mention something about relocating the Wilson stop to Montrose?

    WTF is going on here?

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  10. Well I glad that people will be going to Target that was basically paid through higher property taxes for products that have a higher sales tax and was produced any where but here which produced low wage jobs for low income housing folks. That is one sweet deal, of course you have to decide for who?

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  11. "Well I glad that people will be going to Target that was basically paid through higher property taxes for products that have a higher sales tax and was produced any where but here which produced low wage jobs for low income housing folks. That is one sweet deal, of course you have to decide for who?"

    Is this guy channeling Sarah Palinspeak or what?

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  12. Is this guy channeling Sarah Palinspeak or what?

    Matters not.

    Point is still valid.

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  13. I am just pointing out that we are investing in project that has no positive effects for the people that live here currently. All the residents will come from other parts of the city and Target is Minnesota based company. All the taxes will go to the city, county and state nothing is going to reimburse the homeowner that has bare the burden of the majority of the cost. However the majority of the cost are being place on the burden of the residents of this community. I do not believe that this is an investment but and extraction.
    I got a kick out of your Sarah Palinspeak, funny yes , revelent no. Attaching labels is the best way of having a group ignore your points. Trying to discredit my statments by labeling something negative is not going to change my mine. If you disagree, make some counterpoints.

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  14. I hope this is a Target all Americans can shop at and not just the liberal media elite.

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  15. ...but seriously, this is good news. People can actually make Uptown a destination for purchases, and not just the illegal ones. I wish Target sold pot though, really.

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  16. Does anyone have a link to how many employees a Target regularly employees?

    My guess is something like a staff of 100, but after that its a question of how many locals will apply for those jobs, and will they transition staff in from other locations, such as managers?

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  17. ...but even more seriously, this project could of used more independent oversight, transparency in the plans, communication, and budget. We had a developer who has said he had a contract in his hands, we had last minute changes, we had deadline changes, we had multiple project changes and zero communications. I just don't like the way the people in Uptown has been deceived.

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  18. I personally can't wait for all the Trixies the new store will attract. Probably won't be cool with the LP crowd in 2010 or whenever this G'foresaken project is finished.

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  19. A "rehabbed" CTA station = new paint. I don't think that many Lincoln Park folks will go to this Target. The one on Elston is nicer, plus there's Panera Bread, Home Depot, and you can visit your friends in Wicker Park when you're done.

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  20. Heaven forebid any other 'big box' or restaurant chain were to consider locating in Uptown. I can only imagine the uproar.

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  21. The best Target on the northside is the one up on Peterson. We call the one on Elston "Targhetto". Although, I suppose, that title will soon be taken.

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  22. I'm not going to that Target. No way, I'll go to one where I don't get harrassed on the way in.

    Plus, I'll be willing to bet a substantial amount of money, per the wording of the WY agreement that we don't get a Target, we get "an affiliate of" the Target corp. Just wait.

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  23. Now that there's steel on the construction site for foundation work, can the progress really be halted with a law suit from.....neighbors?????

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  24. In my opinion the Fix Wilson Yard people missed the window of opportunity in filing the lawsuit.

    No Cook County judge is going to do anything once the project has started.

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  25. Of course, construction can be halted by a lawsuit, regardless of the "progress" on this ridiculous project. FixWilsonYard: where is the lawsuit? Hurry up, please.

    This project is an inappropriate use of TIF funds and is bad for our neighborhood. I'm glad about the Target, but still unhappy about the plans for the housing. BTW, where did the Sun Times and CBS 2 get the line, "this housing will be rented for below market rates, but is not public housing as some have claimed"?

    This development will actually be WORSE than public housing, because of the lack of public oversight and Holstein's stated plans to house displaced persons from Cabrini and other defunked CHA projects WITHOUT restrictions.

    Come on people, new retail is great, but we cannot let this thing happen as currently planned.

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  26. If the deliverable cost for each unit is so high, how could anyone think to rent to people who would have no interest in maintaining the units value???
    This whole thing is a sham!

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  27. Now that there's steel on the construction site for foundation work, can the progress really be halted with a law suit from.....neighbors?????

    If it's a valid case, it doesn't matter who files it or what phase the construction is in. My parents were part of a lawsuit, with their neighbors, against a new development on their block that was built too close to the Gulf of Mexico. The judge found the builder violated the law, and the whole building was torn down and rebuilt, although it was already finished. It was easily a multi-million dollar mistake.

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  28. Fix Wilson Yard has communicated the lawsuit was going to be filed very soon. They stated they had communicated to the City of Chicago their intentions and anything that is built at this point is at risk for what might develop out of the suit. The people who are the most concerned about the lawsuit are the developer and alderman. I find it interesting that at the same time the lawsuit is picking up steam they scrambled to get the City Council do agree to changes in the TIF agreement but refused to talk to the community about the changes. It appears these changes gave them what they needed to finally get Target to agree. Not 3 years ago like good old Helen has said. I think without the lawsuit to light a fire under them this could have been delayed for who knows how long and may have cost them when the larger media finally picked up on the issue. I just hope that with all the deception and lack of transparency it gives the attorneys bringing the lawsuit to court more information to use for the cause. As another writer mentioned I also fear that a Target Store is not what will come but something else owned by Target Corp. that is less "Yuppie" as good old Denise Davis likes to say.

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  29. Well ultimately Fix Wilson Yard will not be able to afford the lawsuit because you can bet the City Hall will spend whatever it takes to fight it all the way.

    In lawsuits of this nature timing is of essence unless they get an injunction to stop work on the site until the lawsuit is litigated and ruling you can bet the project will go ahead and just add millions to the cost, taking up tax payers money to defend it.

    In the end once it's built, they aren't going to make them tear it down.

    Just my opinion of course.

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  30. What are the alternatives to a Target, Target Greatland, or Super Target store that you are concerned about?

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  31. j2c, who really knows, but this is a community that has grown wise from all the deception it has faced.

    Any of you still remember when Heartland Alliance was required to drug test their residents at 1207 Leland? It ended up that drug testing was needed because they had to prove you were a drug addict first before you could move in. Helen went along with the deception and laughed at us afterwards. Well Helen, we're going to laugh last.

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  32. I could be wrong, but I don't think the lawsuit is aimed at eliminating the housing, but rather making the city adhere to the standards they would use for housing anywhere else - which is mixed income housing. Someone, of course, would need to explain to Helen that this means a mix of market rate and affordable housing - not a mix of exclusively low incomes.

    So, if they started the construction of the housing - and let's face it - they aren't going to get much done in the next couple of months - they wouldn't need to tear anything down if the income levels were changed to represent true mixed income housing.

    FWY - correct me if I am wrong.

    Now, the height of the residential buildings is the thing I hate, but I guess we gotta pick our battles...

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  33. To clarify, the lawsuit could blow the lid off of everything and stop the housing altogether (misappropriation of TIF funds), which would be fine too. I'd rather see all retail and no housing, but would settle for mixed income if housing must be there.

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  34. The way I understand it all, Target purchased property from Holstein so any lawsuit may progress without affecting Target's progress. This is good.

    Also, should an entire residential foundation be poured prior to the injunction, design changes can still happen without having to rip out what's already been done. Ideally, the project may be restructured to mixed income including first floor retail.

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  35. I find it interesting that at the same time the lawsuit is picking up steam they scrambled to get the City Council do agree to changes in the TIF agreement but refused to talk to the community about the changes.

    One might think THIS is a story that the Sun-Times or Tribune could break if they wanted to.

    They choose silence.

    We have to report these stories and if we want them in the Sun-Times or Tribune we have to file them as "Special reports".

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  36. "Well ultimately Fix Wilson Yard will not be able to afford the lawsuit because you can bet the City Hall will spend whatever it takes to fight it all the way.

    In lawsuits of this nature timing is of essence unless they get an injunction to stop work on the site until the lawsuit is litigated and ruling you can bet the project will go ahead and just add millions to the cost, taking up tax payers money to defend it."


    You're probably right, but if everyone who voted against Shiller in the last election donated $100(not a huge sacrifice IMO), that would be at least $500,000. Then if everybody did that each year of the lawsuit we should be able to fight this until the end.

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  37. Uptownunity is correct - I think the key here is that Holsten SOLD the property to Target. Exactly what does that mean? Holsten does not get to build the Target and loses out on the money? Target is no longer a factor in the lawsuit? Target loses influence over what goes into the rest of the development?

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  38. One of Target's biggest investors is pushing a plan to spin off its land, saving Target huge sums in taxes and boosting its stock price.

    Target May Spin-off Real Estate

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