"The Wilson Yard Family and Senior Apartments provide a total of 178 affordable units--each with a living room, bathroom and kitchenette equipped with a refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and garbage disposal. The family development totals 80 units including one, two and three bedroom apartments, and the seniors’ development has 98 one-bedroom rental units. The family apartments are available to applicants who earn at or below 60 percent of the area median income. For a two-person household in Cook County, the limit is $36,060, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines. Applicants for the senior development must be over the age of 55 and earn at or below 50 percent of the area median income ($26,300 for a one-person household). Rents at the family development range from $670 to $1,050 depending on unit size and include most utilities, while rents at the senior development will be $650."From Crain's:
"Wilson Yard’s small-shop space more than one-third leased. Five specialty store tenants have leased 8,000 of the 23,000 square feet of specialty store space in the mixed-use Wilson Yard development, where Target Corp. this week opened its 203,000-square-foot store. The tenants are Subway, AT&T Wireless, video game retailer Play & Trade, Hair Cuttery and a neighborhood nail salon operator, says Joseph Dunne, senior development manager with Holsten Real Estate Development Corp. About 76% of the 178 affordable and senior housing units are leased, he adds. Holsten completed the residential portion of the project in two stages in February and April. Target’s opening comes after years of delay for the $151-million project, where Chicago-based Holsten was selected by the Daley administration as master developer in 2003."UU Note: Compare this with what Peter Holsten said about the housing income mix (up to $50,000) and prospective tenants (Chili’s, Sally’s Beauty Supply, XSport Fitness, Panera Bread) last September in an interview with Lake Effect News.
We just see the reality of $151,000,000 spent, and 15,000 more square feet of empty retail space sitting on Broadway.
So will the Cabrini Green comparisons continue? Or will anyone compare them to MINI versions of 4645 and 4640 N Sheridan.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone, or are there any plans, tried to connect the residents of Wilson Yards to the Uptown Chicago Commission, Uptown Neighbors Council and Graceland Wilson neighbors?
Regarding the stores...
WHo's stopping "the community" from reaching out to the aforementioned stores, and any other businesses, and bring them in?
If "the community" can organize & spend $50,000 on a lawsuit that didn't go anywhere, and at least 5000 votes every 4 years...why can't they organize a campaign on recruiting a few business to join Wilson Yards?
JP -- It's Wilson YARD. Y-A-R-D.
ReplyDeleteOne. Singular.
Read for comprehension, dude. I don't care how Katharine Nathan said it, or how they said it at the Uptown Snack Shop. This is a new millennium, and it's Wilson YARD.
How are things in your own neighborhood? How much money have you contributed to making it better?
@JP - I think we have paid enough in taxes alone to this project! If Holsten is such a great developer, how come his business record and prestige couldn't lure better tenants??? He certainly made enough off of this and many other projects the city has handed him!
ReplyDeleteHe built a project that, as rentals...with FREE PARKING for residents, will bring very little financial benefit to the neighborhood, leaving homeowners to again foot the bill!
Caring Neighbor, there ar ejust some things you just should NOT care about. It's like arguing Illin-OY vs. Ill-in-oize
ReplyDeleteAnd of course it's Wilson YardS.
Just like Jewel's & Aldi's! ;)
Chatham isn't any different than Uptown as far as crime -- some shocking things, but some places are "safe".
You can look up our blog at TheSixthWardblogspotcom and see what i have been up to.
For example, I participated & helped organize a "pre-emptive prayer strike" at Ruggles school (type Ruggles in the blog's search engine).
79th & Cottage Grove is like how WIlson & Broadway used to be 15 years ago.
You are welcome to come visit.
JP: reality is, Holstein is in best position to acquire tenants AND the only one capable of negotiating terms. What is the local populous supposed to do? Throw our own income at Chili's to entice them to open a restaurant? You think Holstein would renegotiate terms because a bunch of people called and begged?
ReplyDeleteI want to know what you really meant by: "the community"...
Oh, this is just too easy.
ReplyDeleteJPs Pauluss says: "Caring Neighbor, there ar ejust some things you just should NOT care about."
JPs, there are just some things YOU should not care about. Number one is what I -- who, incidentally, did not abandon Uptown for another neighborhood, as you did -- should do with my money.
I'm curious. What should "the community" being doing to bring the businesses in, JP? Be specific.
ReplyDelete... and now back to your regularly scheduled blog post comments:
ReplyDeleteSubway, etc. are completely meh retailers, but hopefully they'll help anchor some of the empty rentals for more interesting small businesses to jump in (particularly if there is a lot more foot traffic to entice companies due to the Target). The Hair Cuttery stands to do very well -- there aren't any other "chain" haircut locations close by.
I, for one, would hate to see a Chili's in Uptown. The only thing worse would be an Applebees. Yikes.
Uptown Unity : it was a bit of sarcasm...as groups or individuals claim "the community wants..." or doesn't want, when it reality it is only a PART of the community that is speaking. The other, just as significant part, may have a different opinion.
ReplyDeleteThere are SOME things that you could claim the majority of the community wants, such as Target in Uptown, for example.
Al Iverson : With all the organizing & energy to "fix" Wilson Yards or the new condo development, they should use it to #1) Gather ideas for several types/brands of businesses, and then #2) Vote on them
You could also do paper surveys as part of positive loitering, and get diverse opinions.
From that data gathering, you should be able to narrow down to ranking of favored businesses. Then some people could do research on contact people, and then write call, blog, etc to "campaign" for those businesses.
i would think most businesses would at least meet with a significant group of interested residents. And depending on the business, you could easily get support from low income buildings, adding to the momentum.
i know it sounds daunting...but without focus on a specific business, you won't get anywhere. Having voting & a list, you can push for one business, but then have a fallback campaign if one gets stalled.
Caring Neighbor: How do i know you're not Tanya Lawler? ;)
Isn,t there a Subway around the corner on Wilson? And another one on Broadway just south of Irving Park, and another one at Montrose and Clark? Hope they got a sweetheart deal for coming to the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteIs anybody familiar with the Marshall Field Garden Apartment Complex in Old Town? I realize that they are two complexes built for different reasons, and during different times... BUT I took a look at Wilson Yard, just from the outside, on Sunday morning, and the density of the units and the over imposing architecture strongly reminded me of MFGA. I've been inside that complex, and a good friend of mine lived there until very recently. It's an absolute horror, from a maintenance, quality of living, and blood in the corridors perspective. Not nice. Similar to WY, the "artists renderings" of MFGA before construction paint an idyllic scene (they can be found online) - which are now a sad joke compared to how the complex looks - particularly the interior courtyard which the artist shows as a blossoming, green yard, but today are just littered mud flats with pools of standing water.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping the architecture and idealism are the only thing MFGA and WY have in common.
Daniel - from what I understand, the Wilson Yard Subway is already in Uptown, it's just moving to Wilson Yard from its existing location. Yeah, way to "create" new retail.
ReplyDeleteThe entertaining JP says:
ReplyDelete"79th & Cottage Grove is like how WIlson & Broadway used to be 15 years ago."
All I know is, I've been here for 20...and it's worse now.
subways new motto
ReplyDelete"eat here because we are the only available place for food"
There are way too many subways ofcourse, it gets ridiculous when you are downtown especially by the harold washington library
There is also a new subway at roosevelt and michigan.
Blechhh!
I am hoping we can clear out the Wilson Magnolia square/shopping area to make it as gang friendly as possible. The Subway was the only place in that shopping area that seemed to remotely care that the gangs use that as their drug market.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know the mix of "family" and "senior" units in the residences?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's a "woman thing."
ReplyDeleteBut am I the only one who read the description of the kitchen equipment in the Wilson Yard units and thought:
"Microwaves, but no 'regular' stoves??" HUH? What the what???
I understand the reasons for not having range/ovens in the senior apartments. I have visted "independent senior living" complexes and they frequently do not have burners and ovens in the cooking area, for safety reasons.
But I imagine that a family living in the "regular" apartments has at least one adult member who knows her (or his) way around a cooktop/oven.
Was this just a typo, or did the Wilson Yard people deliberately skimp on kitchen equipment?
Given a choice between a stove and dishwasher, I'll take the former, thank you.
Wow Caring Neighbor, are you Helen Shiller in disguise? Because your response to JP sounds like something she would say. You should run for alderman ;) JP raises a couple of legitimate and seemingly thoughtful questions and you ignore them in order to make a snarky response totally off subject. Were his questions not in keeping with the anti WY agenda here? And does a person have to live in Uptown to take part in a thoughtful discussion of Uptown?(I live in Uptown by the way). Actually CN, now that I read more, it seems to be something personal between you and JP, but I still think he raises good questions in a proactive and do something besides complaining and being all negative sense. Heck, I remember all the negative comments I read here about Target ever opening due to a missing letter of intent.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Jake, I contribute to this blog because I'm Helen Shiller. Thanks for figuring it out.
ReplyDeleteActually CN, I am sorry for the Shiller comparisons. They aren't fair. It just seemed that JP raised some interesting questions and your response was quite hostile. Seemed out of place.
ReplyDeleteI have been inside the family building, and to clear some things up,THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING "PROJECT" ABOUT IT!! When was the last time you visited a "project".It was clean safe, bright,and the single, full time student,full time employed, single mom i helped move in, were overjoyed, and in tears...there is art hanging,there is even an outdoor park on the second floor,next to the laundry room with large windows so moms and dads can do there laundry and keep an eye on the kiddos, there are absolutely range top stoves in every unit. Beautiful apts...ABSOLUTELY NEEDED IN UPTOWN...ABSOLUTELY!
ReplyDeleteWell, here's to hoping they stay beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAnd, while I don't particularly think we need ANOTHER nail salon in the 'hood, I understand why the businesses that are moving in there are so "meh". When I was volunteering with TWO organizations here in Uptown that were working for a positive result at Wilson Yard(s) I found those who claimed to want good businesses sorely lacking in specifics. Sorry to say, folks, but saying you want a "nice sit-down restaurant" doesn't count for much. But that's all you can come up with. Saying you want a business in Wilson Yard(s) that is locally owned yet not willing to be that local owner isn't enough. And just getting on-line and complaining about the businesses that ARE willing to move into this new space without getting off your duff and doing something is, well, really off-putting to those that actually DO do stuff around the neighborhood and generally worthless.
So what's say we do our darndest to make the new business feel welcome and appreciated for their efforts and step up our game to make Uptown better with our actions?
Do tell ITSABOUTTIME...
ReplyDeleteThis artwork, was it original Picassos? For over $400K for an 850 square foot unit. that would explain things.
yep....it wasnt the security, safe entry way,beautiful park, new appliances,big windows,open well lit hallways,family friendly spaces, that hard working people are paying to live in by the way...it was the artwork...huh go figure!!
ReplyDelete