Time Out Chicago wants to know: What's the matter with Hyde Park

Weekly events and culture magazine Time Out Chicago (TOC) generally focuses on providing lists of fun things to see and do in the city, and--in my experience--seems to stay away from local politics. I've been a big fan for a while because they acknowledge that the city extends beyond the loop and Lincoln Park, and often promote Hyde Park spots and events (like Hyde Park Art Center's Cocktails and Clay).

Seemingly inspired by the recent unveiling of the Harper Court redevelopment plans, this week's cover of TOC reads (all in huge, bold caps),"What's the matter with Hyde Park?" When I first saw this headline, I was a little peeved, thinking something along the lines of "Just what Hyde Park needs, some hot-shot local publication telling the world about all of its deficiencies!" Once you get past the strange, negatively-spun headline, there are actually some really great articles about the neighborhood. As I read it, the central focus of TOC's Hyde park issue (which you can check out here) is finding out what Hyde Park locals want and need, attempting to identify the barriers to the neighborhood having these things, and then demonstrating that these so-called barriers are based on misinformation and misunderstandings about Hyde Park. Writer John Slania notes:

[Hyde Park] sits on prime lakeside real estate and boasts gorgeous historic architecture. Hyde Park has all the trappings of a commercial star, so why is it a veritable retail and entertainment wasteland?

Later, he provides statistics demonstrating that Hyde Park-Kenwood is an exceptionally large community (50,000+14,000 students and 12,000 University staff-members), with a relatively high average household income ($62,500, comparable to Lakeview) and low crime rate (it's the 6th safest neighborhood in the entire city). He goes on to talk to locals about things they feel Hyde Park needs (answers include "somewhere to buy cute girl stuff," "a Trader Joe's, a "bigger variety of restaurants").

In an accompanying piece, writer Jake Malooley goes around and talks to owners and developers of local and national chains asking why they won't set up shop in Hyde Park. Again and again, he is told that the the owners have never even considered moving to the neighborhood, don't want to "pioneer" development in new parts of the city, and don't feel that Hyde Park has the spending power to support their businesses. When Malooley attempts to argue against their assertions by providing data, the owners eventually confess that they actually know very little about the neighborhood or, in the case of the Trader Joe's representative, that she doesn't really know where Hyde Park even is.

In another sideline, Bren DiCrescenzo provides a side-by-side comparison of Hyde Park to Evanston, which is further from the city center yet has historically been more successful in attracting commerce. The most surprising/interesting stats are:

Total Crimes Reported in 2008
Evanston: 24.4 per capita, Hyde Park:24.3 per capita

Violent Crimes Incidents in 2008
Evanston: 299, Hyde Park: 236

Median Family Income (2010 Projection)
Evanston: $105,318 Hyde Park: $119,565

Finally, Liz Plosser provides a good list of what is lovable about Hyde Park. Her top picks include the lake path, Promontory Point, the many local museums, and great specialty grocer Z&H.

What I found most enlightening and troubling about the TOC articles is their portrayal of just how little the general public and investors know about Hyde Park. The writers--and it's not clear how intimately they know Hyde Park-- seem to believe that the Harper Court redevelopment project could transform the community and resolve the issues outlined above.
I think that planned development in the community is, in theory, a great thing and has transformative potential. BUT, I worry that this type of progress won't be sustainable if the rest of the city doesn't know or care about Hyde Park. Moderately dense North-side communities like Andersonville and Lincoln Square don't thrive solely on locals, but on folks who drive in from a few miles away to visit. For the development to be successful, Hyde Park needs to essentially become a destination neighborhood, and that might take some work.

The Harper Court redevelopment project represents a sort of chicken-or-the-egg conundrum. The type of large-scale planned commercial development proposed has the potential to bring new vibrancy to the community. On the other hand, new commercial development will not thrive unless there is enough buzz about the neighborhood to make non-locals care. Bottom line, Hyde Park needs some good PR and marketing. The TOC issue is a great start. Right on par with what I try to do in this blog, the writers boost the community and write about what makes it special, while still thinking critically about the broader economic and social issues that come into play. They depict Hyde Park as a virtually-untapped market full of desirable real estate and affluent locals eager to spend their dough on upscale food and retail. They make a pretty convincing argument for why Hyde Park is a great place to open up shop. They tell you what's already great about the neighborhood, and where there is potential for growth. If I were an investor, I'd be sold. I'm just hoping that those with investing power see this piece and maybe give the community a second look.

Harper Court Redevelopment Presentation-Fast Facts

Hey folks! I just got back from the Harper Court Redevelopment Presentation and wanted to give you all the rundown. I'm going to write more about my reactions, concerns, and hopes for the project in a later post, but here are some quick facts about the plan:

• Essentially everything between Lake Park and Harper, 53rd and 52nd is to be razed and rebuilt. This will include the current sites of Park 52, Calypso Cafe, The Checkerboard Lounge, and several small businesses, not to mention the already defunct Dixie Kitchen. For now, the old movie theater building will not be re-developed.

• Vermillion Development, the firm selected for the project, is known for its experience in "large-scale, mixed use university-related projects," including UIC's south campus and developments at University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana and Indiana State University
  

• The first phase of building is slated to begin in 2011 and will include: 1) a 12-story office building intended to mirror the Hyde Park Bank building in size and stature, 2) 150,000 sq. feet of retail space (potentially including restaurants, bars, a live music venue, a cinema, and both national chain and small local shops) 3) a large "pedestrian environment" with green space, art, and water 4) a "mix of structured and street parking", 5) a 200 room, 12-15 story boutique hotel

• A later phase of development will take place "subject to market," i.e. when the real estate market rebounds. This phase will include construction of two high-rise mixed-income housing structures including condos, apartments, and affordable housing

• Based on the plans presented at the meeting, the new structures will be predominantly glass and hyper-modern in design, with a focus on sustainability and green-living standards

My twitter buddy Trish Morse (@hydeparktrish) has posted most of the meeting materials to her website, which you can check out here. Fellow Hyde Park blogger Hyde Park Urbanist also has a detailed post on the meeting here that I recommend taking a look at.

In a few words, I am both excited and concerned about what this plan means for the Hyde Park. It is on a way larger scale than I was hoping and feels a bit sterile -- looks like the developments in downtown Oak Park and Evanston. At the same time, the prospect of more dining options, bars, and live music is pretty cool-- especially because it will also mean new jobs in the community. I just hope we don't lose Hyde Park institutions like Calypso Cafe in exchange for gaining a Buffalo Wild Wings or somethng of that ilk.... More thoughts to come.

What do you all think so far?

What does "development" mean for Hyde Park?

Harper Court pre-demolition....

Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reallyboring/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I posted a few days ago about the "redevelopment" project that is set to begin in the Harper Court space later this year. In a nutshell, the University of Chicago has purchased the complex and has hired the Vermillion Development firm (known for its experience with "university town" development projects) to raze the existing buildings and replace them with something shiny and new. I, unfortunately, am not privy to any of the specifics of the plan, but rumor has it that there will be a "tower" including a hotel and gym, possibly a cinema, and lots of commercial space.

Anyway, now that I know that the whispers of "development" in Hyde Park are becoming a reality, I'm sort of feeling uneasy. I'm going to be totally honest-- when I first moved to the neighborhood, I whined and complained to anyone who would listen about how Hyde Park would be perfect if only we had this-that-or-the-other yuppy amenity-- e.g. a place to get microbrews, a tapas spot, trendy sushi, and a non-strip-mall shopping complex with national and higher-end shops. With time, though, I've begun to develop a more nuanced perspective. On the one hand, I think having these things nearby would be great. On the other, though, I worry that too much development--particularly University-driven development-- runs the risk of fundamentally changing the character of the neighborhood and robbing Hyde Park of its distinctive quaintness and authenticity. If Hyde Park starts to look like downtown Champaign-Urbana or Ann Arbor, will it still be the Hyde Park I love?

What this all comes down to is that Hyde Park is not and (hopefully) never will be a college town in the traditional sense. Yes, it is the home to a world-class university and to thousands of students from all around the world, but it is also an economically and culturally diverse urban community within a huge metropolis. I get that the university wants its students to have access to cool places to hang out, drink, and shop, but I hope that the development project will also address and respect the needs and preferences of non-University Hyde Park-ers and Southsiders in general.

A quick post for my local readers...

Ok, folks, so I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to post quickly that Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the city and university have (finally!) announced the winner of the bid to re-develop Harper Court. The lucky company is called Vermillion and, according to the article, they're planning to build a large mix-used facility and boutique hotel called Hotel Indigo. Read the full article here: Vermilion wins bid to demolish Harper Court, redevelop site

To get everyone caught up, Harper Court is an aging strip-mall-like structure on 52nd/53rd streets that housed the famous, now-defunct Dixie Kitchen and remains home to the Calypso Cafe and a handful of other Hyde Park businesses. The University purchased the complex a while back and has been working with the city to plan a large-scale "redevelopment project" (i.e. a plan to knock down and replaced the complex with something shiny & new). Several companies have made bids to win the contract to develop the space (including the company that worked on Block 37 downtown) and most proposed plans have included mid-rise structures, a gym, movie theaters, and a hotel. (See the university-run 53rd Street Blog for more history).

Long story short, big changes are about to come to Hyde Park and I think a lot of locals, myself included, have some mixed feelings about what they would like to see happen (I'll post more about this later...) First, though, I'd love to hear from you. How do you feel about the redevelopment project? What would you like to see happen? What concerns do you have?