http://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/ Luxist Comments for Evanston To Face Condo Tower Showdown http://www.luxist.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.luxist.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/http://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/
As you can see from the mockups, there are quite a few tall buildings in this area - after all, it's dead-smack in the middle of downtown Evanston. While I think the design on the right looks sleeker, the one on the left would significantly change Fountain Square around and make it much more visually interesting. The units near the top facing south should also have fantastic views of the Chicago skyline just a few miles away.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out. Given that Northwestern University, as part of its charter, doesn't pay any Evanston property taxes, the town could use a big development like this to improve the more neglected areas of town.

-Tim]]>Jun 1st 2007 1:41AMhttp://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/http://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/
I would say that Northwestern University itself can play a pivotal role in the charm factor of Evanston, as it brings a somewhat naturally more "discerning" demand of neighborhood vendors, who include a much more authentic, international flavor to this highly ordered and well-planned district. Northwestern would disagree with all the upwards growth, as this beautiful, sprawling campus houses the 2nd-largest 4-story building in America (only to The Pentagon). Big business could utilize this large pool of "cheap labor", Northwestern being one of the larger private universities of the US's top 10 academic institutions (known for its Kellogg School of Business no less). NYU's prime, South Manhattan location helped bolster its business school; Kellogg and undergraduate wannabes could turn around and help relatively young corporations recruit some eager talent. Atypical of other Ivy-league caliber universities, many Northwestern alums choose to stick close to home because of the plentiful opportunities. Some industries could value this added intangible.

Directly west of Chicago-proper, we see a true, suburban success story that deserves some investigation: Naperville. Taking home CNN/Money Magazine's "Second Best Place to Live" award as of July 2006, we see that well-planned residential communities can be functional with the right big-picture suburban commuter pipelines laid down by the city and region (The 2 Naperville Metra train stations serving downtown Chicago are the most-frequented suburban stations in all of Chicagoland). Check the location of the area directly west of Evanston and North of Naperville; there is ample room for suburban development able to sustain growth for Evanston industry in the long term.

I live in Sugar Land, TX, which is home to #3 on Money Magazine's 100 best places to live. I have my own theories about this real estate, but I would appreciate it if someone with experience or just definitive opinions responded to my thoughts on Evanston's recent growth. Feel free to "educate" if you think this is not a smart move; I'm an amateur that just wants to learn.]]>Jun 1st 2007 3:01PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/http://www.luxist.com/2007/05/31/evanston-to-face-condo-tower-showdown/Naperville is a disaster....suburban sprawl delux.
Niether of these 2 proposed developments are in any way appropriate for Evanston.
The Chicagoland area is in no way similar to Houston's vast wasteland.]]>Jun 2nd 2007 2:09PM