5490: An Aerial View of Bourgeois Egotism

posted by chicago pop

5490 South Shore Drive Backyard:
Room for 30 Cars

The image above comes to you courtesy of HPP's NIMBY surveillance drone. It is the "backyard" of the ten story, vintage lakefront cooperative building at 5490 South Shore Drive.

We're posting this now -- two days before the community meeting on redevelopment plans for the next door Shoreland Hotel -- because the only real objections to MAC Property's plans for the Shoreland have come from residents of this building, which we estimate to be occupied by about 20 households.

Those objections have been unusually self-interested, even for Hyde Park. In essence, they amount to this: you can't redevelop the Shoreland unless you promise us more and better parking, something which we've never had, and something which no one owes us.

Even though we have this nice big lawn out back with nothing on it but a swing set for the two times a year our grandchildren come to visit.

Sounds like a fair deal, no? An additional perk for 20 households vs. an obvious benefit for all of Hyde Park.

Support MAC's plans for Shoreland redevelopment, and support a great deal for ALL of Hyde Park.

Spring Fix-Its and Digs: Metra Midway Viaducts and CTO Building Site

posted by richard gill

Midway Viaduct Repairs

It is spring once again, and in Hyde Park there are some welcome sights and sounds of air compressors, diesel excavators, front end loaders, and the backing-up beep, beep, beep of heavy equipment.

Some things are getting done that needed doing.

For instance, Metra is using Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) funds to repair the viaducts across 59th Street, the Midway, and 60th Street. Much work still needs to be done at this station (we called the staircase from the 59th Street Metra platform the "Stairway to Hell" last spring). But still, it's a good project; no controversy there.

New Chicago Theological Seminary Site Preparation

Also, the U of C has begun the construction of new headquarters for the Chicago Theological Seminary at 60th & Dorchester. Good project; controversy there. Remember the “community” garden on what is now the construction staging site abutting the actual construction? The gardeners insisted on remaining on the University-owned property during and after construction. They said the staging could just as well be done a couple of blocks away. Well, yeah, but at what cost, along with neighborhood disruption and safety problems as material and equipment is moved over the street?

That the Seminary is being built is good news. Even better: For once, a strident clique of Hyde Parkers was sent packing, along with their silly claims of entitlement and righteousness. For the greater good, the garden got moved. The carrots and radishes will grow again, perhaps on less sacred ground. But they will grow.

Nice as these two projects are, it’s too bad that they’re public works or U of C-sponsored. Private sector development in Hyde Park remains stymied by … well, just read some of the past entries on this blog.