tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post8882486118524864626..comments2023-04-01T06:34:38.141-05:00Comments on Hyde Park Progress: A Tale of Two Campus Towns: Hyde Park and Ann Arborchicago pophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-72790339210992478072009-07-02T14:36:58.529-05:002009-07-02T14:36:58.529-05:00With regard to the vacant lot east of Z&H, our...With regard to the vacant lot east of Z&H, our plan for the lot was a seasonal, outdoor restaurant. <br /><br />The lot owner would not meet with us. Not interested. He has the Clear Channel billboard lease and he is fine.Zig and Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07437539835562937888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-46749143201537221932009-07-02T13:43:44.570-05:002009-07-02T13:43:44.570-05:00Yes, some HP organization should sponsor group tri...Yes, some HP organization should sponsor group trips to see SUNY-Binghamton as a way to help us feel good about ourselves. Really, though, I'd be happy to post something on the U of I Champagne-Urbana. They've got some interesting issues.chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-25116462289888304512009-07-01T23:54:15.862-05:002009-07-01T23:54:15.862-05:00We are always comparing Hyde Park (unfavorably) to...We are always comparing Hyde Park (unfavorably) to the very very coolest places-- Ann Arbor, Bucktown.... But when we compare it to a more typical place, Hyde Park isn't so bad. Compare Hyde Park to the (not high crime but just boring) neighborhoods of McKinley Park or Mt. Greenwood. If you want college towns, compare Hyde Park to Urbana. If you want to be very happy, compare Hyde Park to Binghamton, NY.susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03010924159038600405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-43047104011041025582009-07-01T23:01:24.970-05:002009-07-01T23:01:24.970-05:00By the way, you are so right. Lord knows lower ta...By the way, you are so right. Lord knows lower taxes would help! Cook county is a crazy expensive place to run a business!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-74756718336281776502009-07-01T22:56:50.116-05:002009-07-01T22:56:50.116-05:00Thanks for keeping up the good fight for HP! I go...Thanks for keeping up the good fight for HP! I go nuts shopping local and picking up garbage for a while etc., and then I just burn out. Your blog re-energizes me each time I read it. Thanks for writing this. Keep giving us ideas re what we can all do!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-74590947190619952332009-07-01T09:36:32.890-05:002009-07-01T09:36:32.890-05:00We need tax incentives and streamlined permit proc...We need tax incentives and streamlined permit processes for large businesses to locate in the empty lots in neighborhoods surrounding Hyde Park. The investment firm my brother works for just moved their entire operation (and all employees) to Austin, TX, where there's no personal income tax or corporate tax. That place is booming.Elizabeth Famahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04931639156261179425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-36785650488090301952009-06-30T22:40:00.758-05:002009-06-30T22:40:00.758-05:00...and then, of course, in terms of intellectual o......and then, of course, in terms of intellectual options, all it takes is one major employer dedicated to pursuing just that niche, and you can support an entire quasi-ward on the South Side...the problem is, we need more than just intellectual options...chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-50093598497833075342009-06-30T22:38:31.123-05:002009-06-30T22:38:31.123-05:00chicago mom argues that the proximity of serious c...chicago mom argues that <i>the proximity of serious competition (in retail, in culture, in intellectual options, etc.) makes a huge difference in what we can aspire to around here.</i><br /><br />I think that's a good point, Chicago's neighborhoods have always competed to some extent with the central business district. But I'm not sure it makes the *huge* difference you claim. It doesn't explain Wicker Park/Bucktown, which are even closer to the Loop, or the other little retail clusters on the North side. And historically, at least before WWII, HP had it going on in a major way. So it is/was possible.chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-49940455537614562272009-06-30T21:17:23.163-05:002009-06-30T21:17:23.163-05:00Interesting post & discussion. I often ponder ...Interesting post & discussion. I often ponder this question, looking at HP in relation to any number of places. The one big difference I can think of…is race. Most of these other communities are pretty homogeneous (majority Caucasian)with higher income levels and surrounded by more of the same. HP itself is diverse, and has a number of different market segments. Let's hope that because we finally have an African American as President of the United States who happens to be from Hyde Park, national retailers will begin to look at the south side a little differently!catuca48https://www.blogger.com/profile/12552654687448944596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-44917627224894279342009-06-30T19:52:08.888-05:002009-06-30T19:52:08.888-05:00Hmmm, interesting comparison. But has anyone else...Hmmm, interesting comparison. But has anyone else noticed that if you travel 20 minutes from Hyde Park, you are in downtown/near north/west loop etc. Chicago, and if you travel 20 minutes from Ann Arbor, you are....20 minutes closer to Detroit? I think the proximity of serious competition (in retail, in culture, in intellectual options, etc.) makes a huge difference in what we can aspire to around here.<br /><br />This is not to defend our tired neighborhood's lack of density and economic development--only to point out that even if (when?) 53rd Street is a vibrant retail corridor, Hyde Park may never attract and support the admittedly very attractive mix of retailers Ann Arbor does.Chicago_momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03423426964061740668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-57887604014581194032009-06-30T17:11:12.023-05:002009-06-30T17:11:12.023-05:00Further thought, following from the above: one thi...Further thought, following from the above: one thing that has hurt Chicago in comparison to Ann Arbor, it seems, is that there has been no way for tech-related business spinoffs to incubate locally. Fermi and Argonne are way the hell out in the suburbs. Not that we could have had a particle accelerator under the Midway, but just *something* nearby. The kinds of synergies that you get in places like Stanford's Industrial/ Research Park (the forerunner of Silicon Valley) depend on the University being in close, almost physical communication with nearby institutes and research-related firms. <br /><br />It's hard for that to happen in a neighborhood that is not a blank slate, and from which you have to go so far out to get open land. <br /><br />Not that it couldn't happen; in fact, it could, and it could be vertical, the way the latest science buildings on campus have been vertical. But it would mean allowing it to happen in the areas around the University, with all the challenges that this poses.chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-28878476544227554882009-06-30T16:40:28.591-05:002009-06-30T16:40:28.591-05:00I think it's good to visualize what's poss...I think it's good to visualize what's possible for HP, even if the scale of HP and AA are somewhat different. But I do think that the particular mix of AA's downtown is something that a lot of HP'rs would like.<br /><br />But they have problems too; unlike HP, they don't even have a major supermarket in the district; we have 3 major drug stores, they don't have any. It's a very car-centered city, and aside from a jaunt downtown, you have to drive to do anything.<br /><br />Which makes it all the more interesting that the downtown is as cool as it is. A lot of it chalks up to a larger base of white collar professionals at the University and in the tech/biomed shops (though some of these have left) nearby. Incomes are higher on average than in HP. And racial diversity is lower -- this has always been a factor that challenges small retailers in HP trying to sell to as wide a market as possible because tastes vary from group to group.<br /><br />I also think the MAC revolution will sneak up on Hyde Parkers: there's a lot that could turn up once the Shoreland and Del Prado go online. Those are long term projects that will have long term effects, and they will inexorably shift the dynamic in a favorable direction (i.e. away from the people who don't want anything to change).chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-9994234704030493122009-06-30T15:50:15.722-05:002009-06-30T15:50:15.722-05:00Yes, I can see the frustration (and feel it too) w...Yes, I can see the frustration (and feel it too) when it comes to Hyde Park and development. College students, contrary to popular opinion, aren't that broke, and even if they don't have a lot of money, their parents perhaps do.<br /><br />Hyde Park should be a SLAM DUNK in terms of retail. So, why are general retail and services often lacking in Hyde Park?<br /><br />The University's (and Antheus' to a somewhat smaller extent) redevelopment plans are good ones. Harper Court is a dump that should have been redone years ago. Same with Village Center. These should have been torn down and redeveloped when we had the chance, during the boom years. The building planned for the parking lot across from Piccolo Mondo is gorgeous, but again, it probably won't happen for a long time given the current financial climate.<br /><br />The person who owns the corner where Tiki Lounge and Cedars used to be held that vacant property for years, waiting for a "better deal". They finally tore down the old building, but nothing seems to be planned for that space.<br /><br />There's also a big vacant lot just next door to Z&H. It's been that way for as long as I've lived in Hyde Park.<br /><br />I hate to say it, but I think Jack Spicer has a point when it comes to emptying buildings and leaving them vacant for years. The Dixie Kitchen thing was kind of a fiasco.<br /><br />We do have some diamonds down here. There's no shortage of bike shops (Tati for custom stuff, Bike Doctor for general retail, Blackstone... not gonna mention that other guy :-)), even with the loss of Dixie Kitchen we still have abundant restaurants, the grocery store scene is good now with the bigger HPP and "new" TI. The night life is improving with places like Noon Lounge. We need a 24 hour diner and some retail like a scooter shop, clothing geared towards college students and young people in general.<br /><br />The main problem is that when we do have plans to redevelop, the plans grind along at a snails pace and nothing gets done for years, if not decades. Whenever any change is proposed, we get letters to the editor from paranoiacs who are always convinced its the next coming of Urban Development.<br /><br />I'm so completely sick of hearing about Urban Development. Paranoia and a love of "good old days" Brezhnevesque stagnance is keeping this place from realizing its true potential. Fortunately, we have plenty of empty storefronts, vacant lots, crumbling lakefront revetments and empty, worthless hospital buildings to remind us every day that we're silly and backwards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-21091950921578110682009-06-30T15:16:20.281-05:002009-06-30T15:16:20.281-05:00Nice post Chicago Pop.Nice post Chicago Pop.Zig and Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07437539835562937888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4186587935097536129.post-89636775751627985662009-06-30T11:59:35.034-05:002009-06-30T11:59:35.034-05:00Ah, yes. Moving here from 7 years in AA (plus 4 un...Ah, yes. Moving here from 7 years in AA (plus 4 undergrad years there a decade earlier) was a really tough transition. Have since lowered expectations and come to appreciate HP for what it is, but HP's lack of ability to support and sustain nice, independently owned stores/restaurants/etc... remains puzzling and frustrating. <br /><br />AA has taken some economic hits recently--Google closed shop there, as did Pfizer, I believe. And still AA thrives.<br /><br />Have recently heard more tales of folks unable to find reasonable rent in HP and moving their businesses to other neighborhood (most recent instance is a bakery that will be opening in Bucktown instead of HP). And then there's the Dixie Kitchen fiasco. Annoying puts it mildly.<br /><br />Am slightly encouraged by a couple of new developments here: Artisans 21 has been a nice addition to that block of 53rd St--shaping up to be a decent block of businesses. The outside seating at Leona's is nice to see... But it's hard to think of waiting another 2 years for the university to START on its Harper Court development...so depressing over there these days.Yaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08795276208813221120noreply@blogger.com