Thursday, March 3, 2011

Rahm Wants An Uptown Music District

Read more at the Sun-Times

...The one nugget he dropped about a vision for the city’s music community was his suggestion of creating a targeted music district, similar to the downtown theater district. He didn’t declare, he merely posed a question.

“You have the Riv [Riviera Theatre], you have Aragon, you have Double Door. . . . We have a downtown theater district. Should there be an Uptown music district, given our history with labels as well as the club scene, which is truly, truly unique around the country?” Emanuel said.

UU Note: Wouldn't it be nice to FINALLY see the Riv "unsheathed?"

30 comments:

  1. Since this is one platform for Phelan, would this serve as an endorsement?

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  2. Molly hardly holds the patent on that idea.. I know that Cappleman has been working with that, and a NUMBER of other issues, through the Uptown Chamber of Commerce for YEARS...longer, in fact, than MOLLY HAS EVEN LIVED IN UPTOWN.. so please, lets keep things in perspective here... nice try to co-opt an idea though.. .lol

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  3. There's an article in today's tribune about a Rahm-allied political group giving money to candidates in about half the runoff races. 46tb ward is not one of them (at least it isn't mentioned in the article). So it looks like Rahm is staying out of this race so far. I wonder if that will change before April.

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  4. I wonder if Molly is aware of the Uptown Entertainment TIF that long ago started work on bringing in more entertainment into the area? Proposing an idea is one thing. Implementing the idea is quite another.

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  5. I applaud anyone who has this "idea" and hope that they get it done.

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  6. So it looks like Rahm is staying out of this race ... directly.

    Corrected that for you.


    Let's not forget that Rahm's political fruit ripened on the Daley branch ... and, as history proves time and again, when the apple falls, it tends to stay pretty close.

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  7. Did you hear hizzoner-elect Rahm Emanuel on WXRT yesterday? He did a twenty minute interview at 6 PM. Among the headlines was his lack of memory of what he did during the 80s, but even more important for Uptown, his fond memories of rocking out at the Aragon and the Riv (which apparently he did at least dimly remember), and the idea for Uptown improvement anchored by a music district centered on the Aragon, the Riveria, and the Uptown, similar to the theatre district downtown.

    Pretty cool, in our opinion! The audio is at this link.

    http://wxrt.radio.com/2011/03/02/audio-mayor-elect-celebrates-chicago-day/

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  8. What is the update regarding the uptown theater?

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  9. Hey look, more attention Uptown gets for it's music venues, the better. I know both candidates will work to revive the Riv, Aragon, and Uptown Theatre area.

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  10. Remember that we get a new ward map this year. It will be interesting to see what comes of this border area.

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  11. I'm not sure why this is news to anyone. The Lawrence/Broadway Entertainment TIF was put into place over a decade ago. The goal was to develop the area as an entertainment area focussing on the theatres and the Aragon Ballroom. The ultimate goal is the eventual restoration of the Uptown Theatre.

    So far this TIF has helped restore the Goldblatt's building (Borders), the Leland Hotel, the Heilig Meyer building (Fat Cat and Gunnison Lofts) and the Broadway Bank building across the street from Borders.

    This has been the plan for more than a decade so I'm not sure why it is news now.

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  12. So of we get tax incentives to help rebuild Uptown as a theater district and hopefully a re modeled Wilson El stop, then would it be OK to build a complex that incluDes a hotel and restaurants plus money for a new and improved park also be OK d by peole on UU?

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  13. My Dearest Misso63-

    This is very much a case of apples and oranges. You may not know this, but the three theaters and the Wilson El already exist; the TIF is nearly halfway through its life of diverting tax revenues. That the Wilson Yard TIF should have, first and foremost, addressed the Wilson Station is unfortunately moot. None of this is remotely relevant to the Montrose/Clarendon TIF proposal. In that case, a developer wants 24 years of taxpayer subsidy for a lakefront property. So, instead of the taxpayers paying $6mm to upgrade the park, the taxpeyers will pay a developer $50mm for a $6mm upgrade to the park.

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  14. Both the 48th and 46th ward lost about 5000 people since the 2000 census. This means both wards will need to expand (and many others as well).

    That redistricting imperative makes it pretty likely that one or the other of the wards will be swelling to take total ownership of that Lawrence/Broadway area rather than the dangling appendage from the 48th in that area that drops down into the 46th currently.

    Greg Hinz wrote about the ward changes a few weeks back.

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/blogs?blogID=greg-hinz&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&uid=1daca073-2eab-468e-9f19-ec177090a35c&plckPostId=Blog:1daca073-2eab-468e-9f19-ec177090a35cPost:5918a8bd-34bd-4861-9380-8df1f472bc6f&plckScript=b

    Whichever alderman gets it will have their hands full, I bet every theater up there could use millions in work, and the State St Theater District project sure wasn't cheap.

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  15. Joe,

    play around with this link.

    http://robparal.com/downloads/Wards/Ward0010.htm

    You can change the data set by clicking on the categories along the bottom.

    The 46th and 48th Wards did lose population, but so did the city as a whole. Each ward will have to have about 53,900 people. The 46th and 48th Wards are just over that. The ward boundaries will change, but probably not by much.

    The big change citywide is the loss of black population on the south and west sides. We're likely to see three fewer "black" wards and an increase in "hispanic" wards. There is also nearly enough new population in the greater downtown area to create a new ward there.

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  16. Irish - There's an article in the Trib today about how more minorities are moving to the suburbs.

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  17. Guess I missed when the moved Double Door from Wicker Park to Uptown. Cool!

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  18. My dearest Bradley,NOBODY has been paying taxes on that property for years,so if you invest in business there andvthey are successful,MAGIC,taxes are coming in!!

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  19. Dear Dear Misso63,

    Then let the developer pay what the site is worth and start paying taxes...no TIF shell game necessary. If a vacant build-ready property at that location is worth x dollars and it will cost y dollars to raze the buildings, you pay x-y for the property...period. Did you realize the Maryville property has unobstructed lake views in perpetuity? And for 24 years the city won't see any of that money.

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  20. By-the-bye...since this property isn't used for religious or educational purposes, why aren't taxes being collected?

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  21. Due your research foirst,then post later,they are a non for profit,which means they didnt pay raxes,smuch like many of the services in Uptown.I live across the street and have been to the community meetings regarding the project and would like to see some new construction going instead of boarded up buildings.Im excited that Rahm has mentioned Uptown in a positve light ,instead of the negative news we have been getting since ive lived here.Build it and they will come.

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  22. Hi Misso63 I also live across the street at 824 W. Agatite. Many neighbors including CPNA and UCRD would like to see some sort of appropriate development too but for many reasons we do not favor the Sedgwick Development proposal. I'd love to have you come to one of our meetings to discuss development issues. You can contact us at uptowncolition.com

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  23. This can't be good for the Uptown Music District.

    http://www.suntimes.com/7409066-417/city-council-moves-to-transform-motor-row-into-music-row.html

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  24. non specific nugget from Osterman's twitter.

    "Just had great mtg with @RahmEmanuel discussing CTA red line imprvmts, security issues throughout our Ward, Uptown entertainmnt district...as well as improving our schools & expanding opportunities for positive economic development. Our community & City have a bright future"

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  25. @ Alek

    In the Sun-Times article they don't even mention nearby Buddy Guy's Legends...curious.

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