Is the deferred maintenance of the garage related to the rezoning of Piper’s Alley and the possible construction of high-rise towers that many believe do not belong in Old Town?
12-Jul-24 – The Piper’s Alley garage on the southern edge of the landmark Old Town Historic District is in the crosshairs of neighborhood activists seeking to protect the area from a high-rise explosion. Real estate experts suggest this shoddy garage maintenance is a harbinger of a secret plan to tear down the deteriorating parking facility to make way for at least one and maybe two high-rises following a pending rezoning move. Fern Hill Company, developer of the proposed 500-unit Old Town Canvas high-rise, apparently is planning – through various partnerships – to stretch the “land canvas” for at least two additional towers along North Avenue west of Wells Street. In play in this rezoning chess game is the Piper’s Alley complex, including Starbucks, The Second City, XSport Fitness, and more than a dozen commercial properties that ring the northwest corner of North & Wells running west to North Park Avenue. Piper’s Alley is within a stone’s throw of the Old Town Triangle historic district. Zoning experts say the rezoning of the 84,078-square-foot Piper’s Alley site to allow a floor-area-ratio (FAR) of 420,390 square feet could eventually pave the way for two additional high-rise towers on the north side of North Avenue between Wells and North Park. As proposed, the sweeping zoning changes under Fern Hill’s planned development could result in up to 1,400 new residential units housing upwards of 4,000 to 5,000 new residents along a two-block stretch of North Avenue between LaSalle and North Park. The Pipers Alley block of buildings was downzoned in the 1970s with petitions from area residents supported by alderpersons Vi Daley and Michelle Smith. Residents say they do not want Old Town to become like River North or the West Loop with high-rise-dense neighborhoods. Residents and building owners in the coveted Old Town Triangle historic district are overwhelmingly against a proposed 44-story Old Town Canvas monolith. Now, they say they have another battle looming to fight in the high-rise war developing in Piper’s Alley. Opponents say proposed ‘Canvas’ is too tall and disruptive for neighborhood The charming Old Town Historic District contains 523 magnificently restored Victorian buildings – some museum-quality. Nearly all structures are single-family residences or walk-up apartments built prior to 1950. The Old Town Triangle, bounded roughly by North Avenue, Wells Street, Lincoln Avenue, Clark Street, and a string of side streets on the west, is home to the annual Old Town Art Fair and Garden Walk. Opponents of Fern Hill’s 500-unit project have formed a coalition, citing concerns about its size, public safety, and probable impact on traffic. Old Town Friends for Responsible Development (OTFRD) argues that the proposed building, with its large number of rental apartment units, is excessive for the neighborhood. OTFRD is advocating for a reduced height of no more than ten stories. The opposition says the massive multifamily project would be too large and disruptive. In addition, they are seeking assurances regarding mitigated traffic and disruption to local businesses during construction. OTFRD is a grassroots coalition comprised of more than 1,500 residents of Old Town, Gold Coast, and Lincoln Park, including condominium boards and businesses. Erecting high-rises on the corners of North & LaSalle and on the Piper’s Alley site likely would create non-stop art-fair-like traffic 52 weeks a year, critics say.
Traffic impact studies beyond the intersections of Wells & North and LaSalle & North have not been provided to the impacted residents. Another neighborhood group, Old Town Triangle Association (OTTA), recently released a property owner survey showing that 84 percent of survey respondents expressed opposition to Fern Hill’s high-rise project density and rezoning application, noted OTTA president Raymond Clark.
“While we do have a few high-rise residential buildings inside the Triangle boundaries, they are not sited immediately adjacent to the parcels at issue here but are instead peppered along Wells Street, Clark Street, and LaSalle Street north of North Avenue,” he said. More info: Previous story: Piper’s Alley fight over rezoning that could allow more towers in Old Town |