Unlucky Chicago Site May Finally Be Developed

Two new developments may finally bring an end to a long streak of bad luck for a site in downtown Chicago, where projects just couldn't seem to get finished. The city changed its development strategy and is hoping the new projects revive the site.

1 minute read

April 26, 2007, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"One project after another fell through as some of the most high-profile developers in the city tried and failed to line up tenants and financing for a series of mixed-use projects, all of which were announced with great fanfare and then never heard from again."

"Indeed, it is estimated that about $300 million in public and private funds was spent on failed development projects for the site over the years."

"The city has assisted the developments by selling the land for $12.2 million, which is about a third of its market price."

"More important, the city, in the early 2000s, changed its expectations for the site. Instead of holding out for an all-at-once megaproject by a single developer, it decided to take a more ad-hoc approach by appointing a master developer, which was then free to sell off the development rights to different components of the project."

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