More and more people are looking to bikes to be there main form of transportation and with the city’s population rising, it seems that might be the smart thing to do. Most of us can agree that we have trouble finding parking whether we live in permitted zones or not.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has a plan to increase development near transit stations.

“Changes in the zoning code, to be considered by the City Council next month, could add housing for up to 100,000 people within a half-mile of mass transit stations in 20 years,” according to a Metropolitan Planning Council analysis.

More dwellings near transit stations does sound like a fantastic idea except these developments would have no room for parking which is fine if 100% of those people do not have visitors with cars or only own a bike and not a vehicle too.

Parking is becoming increasingly difficult to find in Chicago and although traffic is down from a decade ago, does Chicago or any city for that matter, have the patience for more bikes on the streets and bike lanes almost everywhere?

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It seems like a new development is popping up in the Logan Square neighborhood faster than we can keep track of them! New developments are always a good thing as they often not only increase the value of the surrounding homes, but make for a more lively place to live.

The latest addition will be a brewpub at 2515 N. Milwaukee, which will be gutted and renovated with a new floor plan and a residential unit to make Bixi Brewery. The project will be headed by the Owen and Engine team with an estimated cost for the project to be at about 1.5 million. The opening date is still to be determined. Read more about it here.

The proposal to turn what used to be the indoor flea market known as Mega Mall, into a development has been in the air for over a year now. Just this past Thursday did the idea get approval from the city’s Plan Commission. The development itself has gone through some changes since that year, dropping down to 220 units instead of the initial proposal for 267 and settling at a maximum height of 98 feet.

Although most people were in favor of the old Mega Mall structure being turned into something that would bring in more revenue while also more properly fitting the Logan Square modern feel, not everyone was thrilled. Affordable housing advocates would have liked more than the 22 units (minimum requirement) that were agreed upon for affordable housing but didn’t get it. Logan Square Neighborhood Association member John McDermott was against the development saying:

“We are at risk of losing businesses that are bilingual,” McDermott said, as well as other low-end businesses, so that longterm residents might well find themselves saying, “Can we afford to shop in this neighborhood anymore?” He called it “an existential crisis in our community.”

McDermott does have a point but like almost most everything in the world, in the end it comes down to profit. The plan still needs to be approved by the City Council because of the zoning change before it can be on it’s way. Read more about this story here.

According to Academy Mortgage Corporation , construction was booming in June by 10% more than they did in May. Due to that fact, building permit application also increased at this time by 7.4%.

According to RealtyTrac’s Buy-to-Rent analysis, buying or investing in a home is more affordable than it is to rent in most major countries. They include the following cities:

 

• San Bernardino County, California
• Clark County, Nevada
• Miami-Dade County, Florida
• Wayne County, Michigan
• Broward County, Florida

We’ve all seen sidewalks that had clearly suffered some distress and were in need of some concrete loving. Well, have no fear. The Share Cost Sidewalk Program (also known as the 50-50 program) is opening back up on January 12, 2016. The program offers low-cost options so you can have your sidewalk fixed.

You have to act quickly though, as the people that jump on this opportunity first will be the ones with first dibs.

 

Applications will only be accepted through the City’s 311 system by calling 311 or accessing the City’s service request website cityofchicago.org/311.

Logan Square has been a booming spot for quite some years now and the new developments taking place hope to attract more people to this lively little area. And in order to accomplish that, developers are sharpening up their minds and their tools to come up with new amenities to accompany their apartment/condominium complexes.

The newest development known as the “L” apartment development is certainly not your average downtown high rise but it is hoping to reel in the same type of young folks who can afford those kind of places; the one’s with a lot of money. The project is said to be ready for its unveiling early next year and will have 120 units according to developer Property Markets Group.

“One of the more notable features of the building will be an old ‘L’ train car that will become a part of the development’s amenity deck. Surrounded by a water feature, the retired train car will be a shared amenity space where residents can hang out at,” explains Aj LaTrace in an Curbed article.

The rendering you see above looks very modern and appropriate since a good number of people in the area use the train as their main mode of transportation. Pre-leasing starts in late February, guys,  just in case you want to snag one of the newest spots in LS.