More Details Emerge for New Mid-Size Development at 1802 S. State

More information for new condos at the southwest corner of 18th and State was sent to us last week.  As a reminder, we posted about a new 39-unit building coming last February.  Details at that point were scant, but at the time we saw this as a sign of promise for the neighborhood and this specific stretch of the Sloop.

Anyway, at this link from their website you can get a sense of the unit layouts and pricing:

It will be interesting to see how quickly these sell.  While building has been brisk in the Sloop, they're mostly high-rises and town-homes.  Midsize developments are different story, so we will be watching this one closely.

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Sunset Feet

(Hat tip: JH!)

Is the New Pazzo's on South State For Sale?

A reader writes:

Just saw this pop up on linked in and thought it was odd. Is Pazzo’s closing or are they just selling the building to a new landlord? It says “perfect place for your client’s business” sounding like Pazzo’s is closing only a few months after opening.

As a reminder Pazzo's opened quickly in December of 2017.  Definitely seems like an ominous sign.

(Hat tip: KK!)

Development Action at Southeast Corner of Wabash and 14th?

A reader writes:

What’s going on at SE corner of Wabash and 14th? Former parking lot now all fenced off.

We haven't heard about anything going in there, but imagine it would be a nice little space for some row homes or something. 

Anyone have any insight?

(Hat tip:  JS!)

The Steak Out Coming to 2113 South State Street

A reader sends us the picture above which makes it seem like a new restaurant is opening at 2113 South State street next to Reggie's and the Asian Cajun restaurant.

We've done some googling but couldn't find if this place has other restaurants.

Anyone have any insights?

Float Sixty Still Coming to Sloop but at a New Location

We recently received some new news on Float Sixty:

We wanted to report that we are in final permit release for our South Loop location at 1143 S. State Street. Our original planned location had to be aborted due to major challenges at 1130 S. Michigan (next to Yolk) but we are happy to have the space at State and Roosevelt. We will have 5 float tanks and some other wellness modalities so I wanted to make sure you had this information for your blog. Our projected opening is fall/winter of 2018, we are hoping to open by the holidays!

As you may be aware Float Sixty was initially intending to come to Michigan Avenue but apparently that didn't work out.

Anyway, we're excited to experience what these things do.

(Hat tip: GM!)

Emerald Ash Borer Invades Trees at Mark Twain Park

A reader writes:

Not sure if you've covered this, but I don't recall seeing it.

All the Ash trees in Mark Twain Park are dead. The Emerald Ash Borer finally got them and over the winter they all succumbed. I first noticed the lines of holes last year and then some splitting bark on some of the trees. They're all completely dead now. I haven't counted but there must be a dozen 30-40 year old trees. Pretty sad really. The park will look pretty barren without them.

The city will need to cut them down soon as some branches are already getting brittle and will start coming down during high winds. Could be seriously dangerous for people walking and playing.

We did write about Emerald Ash Borer laying claim to some trees in Dearborn Park last year, but this is the first time we're hearing about Mark Twain Park.

Regardless, definitely sad to see.

(Hat tip: AVS!)

South Loop Rental Market "Challenged" in next 12 to 18 Months?

We were driving around the South Loop recently and were surprised about the scale of all the buildings going up in the neighborhood.  Yes, we've posted about them and spent a lot of time talking about them on Sloopin, but seeing all of them in the wild made us do a double take.

Along those lines, we were reading a recent post on The Real Deal about Chicago's real estate market and the development (both actually happening and proposed).  One thing that was called out was whether there is an oversupply.  According to a quote, some are thinking the South Loop could have a problem:

At the far end of the downtown area, in the South Loop, new inventory could present a bigger challenge.

Crescent Heights is building a 792-unit rental tower called One Grant Park in an area that includes a 479-unit project being built by Oxford Capital and several other large rental projects.

The projects will bring thousands of new units to a part of Downtown that doesn’t have as much of a longstanding history as a residential area as neighborhoods like Streeterville or the Gold Coast.

“I think the South Loop is going to have a few challenges 12 to 18 months from now,” Integra’s Ron DeVries told Crain’s in February.

While that might be true, a bigger question in our mind is whether the oversupply will eventually get absorbed.  While it's impossible to tell, we naturally are very bullish here. 

Upon that same trip where we were struck by all the developments, we were also amazed by the amount of foot traffic on stretches of the neighborhood that historically were light.  That seems like a good thing for the vitality of the neighborhood...which we assume would be good for the real estate market.

Guy Fieri Hangs with Rapper Trae Tha Truth in Sloop

If you were hanging around the Sloop recently you might have seen a crazy haired dude who looked familiar (via Sun-Times):

Later, rapper Trae Tha Truth posted photos of himself with Fieri at Velvet Lounge in the South Loop.

He wasn't just in Chicago for any old reason, seems like he was doing some work:

Walking around Chicago on Tuesday, you might have been startled by a head full of bleached, spiked hair. Or maybe a bowling shirt covered in orange flames caught your eye.

That’s right. Guy Fieri, host of multiple Food Network shows, was in the city filming “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Mayor Emanuel Outlines His Vision for Extending the Riverwalk

Tribune had an article yesterday about Mayor Emanuel's plans to extend the riverwalk.  As part of the speech he spoke about the plans for the South branch:

The mayor also briefly mentioned that he was “looking at building a new trail” from Chinatown’s Ping Tom Memorial Park on the South Branch of the river up to the Riverwalk’s western edge at Lake Street. Emanuel did not offer details, other than to say it would build on concepts offered during last year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial.

As part of that event, architectural firms developed ideas for three locations along the 1.8-mile potential extension to Ping Tom: the Civic Opera House waterfront, the stretch beneath the Congress Parkway Bridge and the area below the St. Charles Air Line Bridge.

While details are scant, there are certainly a lot of developments planned for the South brand of the river that extends through the South Loop.  When all of those get built will ultimately help determine if this vision will ever become a reality.

Many stars would have to align, but it would be an amazing amenity for the neighborhood (and the city). 

One thing that could accelerate this would be if Amazon chose Chicago for their HQ2 location and chose the Related Midwest spot south of Roosevelt, we imagine that could spur a rash of development along the river.

Time will tell, but a boy can dream. 

Tiny Tunes Studio Opens at 69 E. 16th Street

We recently got this email:

Wanted to quickly introduce myself and let you know that I've opened a new business in South Loop and thought you might want to cover it. I took over the space after Geek Fashion (69 E 16th street) and opened a kids music studio in its place. We officially opened our doors on Monday, April 2nd; the space is called Tiny Tunes Studio. We offer drop-in music, baby yoga and zumbini (zumba for kids!) classes. We're open 7 days a week and have 1-2 classes per day. We also rent our studio for private parties (kids' birthdays, baby showers, fundraisers, etc.) on weekend afternoons!

While this stretch of retail hasn't always been kind to tenants, a kid friendly type of business could be a good fit.  Best of luck to Tine Tunes Studio and looking forward to checking you out soon!

(Hat tip: GM!)

#ShotsAroundTheSloop: Old and New

(Hat tip:  RD!)

Evangelist Franklin Graham Exploits Indecent Exposure Incident at South Loop Target

Remember when we posted about a very disturbing incident at Target last week. 

Well we recently stumbled upon an article that exploits the situation with a religious and political angle (via Christian Today):

Evangelist Franklin Graham has asked his followers to boycott Target stores after a man reportedly exposed himself to a child in the ladies restroom at one of the retailer's locations in Chicago.

According to NBC Chicago, the man entered the women's restroom at a Target store in the South Loop on March 25 and went into a stall that was being used by a young girl. He then exposed himself to the child and left the bathroom.

The police are still on the lookout for the suspect, who has been described as being black, about 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 to 190 pounds.

On Tuesday, Graham took to Facebook to express his frustration with the retail store's restroom policies that allow biological men into women's bathrooms.

"Why is anyone shocked? Target prides itself in its policy that allows biological men to use women's restrooms. On Sunday in one of their Chicago-area stores, a man entered the ladies restroom and exposed himself to a little girl who was at the store shopping with her mom," he wrote.

This makes me angry!

Founder of Willow Creek Community Church - Who is Opening a Location in the Sloop - Steps Down Amid Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior with Women

The Rev. Bill Hybels, founder of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington,
delivers a Sunday sermon on July 14, 1985. (via Tribune)

Earlier this year we posted about Willow Creek Church taking over a pretty big building on South State Street (1319-1347 S State Street).  At the time we were surprised that a church could just plop themselves in such a big space, but upon reading more about Willow Creek Community Church we realize it's a pretty big enterprise.

The church's founder just resigned amid allegations from various women (via Chicago Tribune):

Forty-two years after founding one of the nation’s most influential evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Bill Hybels told his congregation Tuesday night that he would step down from the helm of Willow Creek Community Church six months ahead of schedule.

His departure comes less than a month after a Chicago Tribune investigation disclosed that Hybels had been the subject of inquiries by church leaders into claims that he ran afoul of church teachings by engaging in inappropriate behavior with women in his congregation — including employees — allegedly spanning decades. The inquiries had cleared Hybels.

It will be interesting to see if this affects anything with the South Loop location - our guess is no, but we will see.

The Tribune article goes onto explain legacy with regard to the development of the church:

Hybels’ resignation marks the end of a remarkable ascent in evangelical circles as he grew Willow Creek from a group of zealous 20-somethings inside a Palatine movie theater to one of the largest megachurches in the U.S.

From the beginning, he affirmed women in leadership, tapping them to serve as elders, key volunteers and teaching pastors.

In 1992, Hybels expanded Willow’s reach around the world by establishing the Willow Creek Association, a network of more than 11,000 churches worldwide that share Willow’s core philosophies. He also served as a spiritual adviser to President Bill Clinton around the time of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.