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Chicago's ambitious plan to convert 5 million square feet of empty office space into affordable housing places a big bet on remote work
Business insider ^ | 06/23/2023 | Helaine Krysik

Posted on 06/25/2023 9:46:45 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27

The activity and vibrancy of Chicago's downtown area, once the heart of the city's economy, shifted dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. Physical offices and gathering places closed while remote work soared. Cities across the US are now dealing with the ramifications of that workplace upheaval, despite many companies' attempts to get their employees back into the office.

As a result, downtown crowds eating, drinking, and shopping are a fraction of what they once were. Chicago's downtown office space posted a 22.4% vacancy rate in the first quarter of 2023, which poses the question: What does the city do with all that vacant commercial office space?

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: cabrinigreenv2; chicago; commercial; downtown; housing; office; realty; space; theprojects; vacancy
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Cabrini green style housing in the financial district? Epic failure to come.🙄
1 posted on 06/25/2023 9:46:45 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Who in hell would live in Chicongo if they didn’t have to?


2 posted on 06/25/2023 9:48:28 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: ChicagoConservative27

I read that about 600 units might get added - probably enough to house a few days worth of new invaders.


3 posted on 06/25/2023 9:54:17 AM PDT by Brian Griffin (ARTICLE I SECTION 2....The President...may require the opinion, in writing)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Chicago is going to be the next Detroit and it was heading that way anyway.


4 posted on 06/25/2023 9:55:45 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: ChicagoConservative27

I’m sure this plan will end well...


5 posted on 06/25/2023 9:56:38 AM PDT by imabadboy99
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Hope they do same in San Francisco.

What other use would there be for all that property and empty buildings? - that are empty b/c of rampant crime and homelessness?

My son (IT) was called into the office for the first time in three years - to clear our his own personal office - the company is selling the building and he’ll be working remote in perpetuity (which he’s very happy about).


6 posted on 06/25/2023 10:05:59 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (What did Socialists use before Candles?..... Electricity)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

I can see a massive fight between black residents of Chicago and all the new “refugees” that are pouring into the city.

Who gets first dibs on Section 8 housing? Blacks are already protesting the new arrivals getting all kinds of perks that they think they should be getting.

Let ‘em fight it out - while the current and former mayor both blame “White Supremacists” for all of Chicago’s problems.


7 posted on 06/25/2023 10:07:58 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (What did Socialists use before Candles?..... Electricity)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Get your popcorn ready.


8 posted on 06/25/2023 10:11:20 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Government owned housing. Where have we seen this happen before…


9 posted on 06/25/2023 10:18:50 AM PDT by vpintheak (Live free, or die!)
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To: ChicagoConservative27
Chicago's ambitious plan to convert 5 million square feet of empty office space into affordable housing places a big bet on remote work

Converting empty office space into another O Block - that's not so much ambitious as it is idiotic.
10 posted on 06/25/2023 10:24:59 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: MeganC

“Who in hell would live in Chicongo if they didn’t have to?”

Illegals. They’d live anywhere. And the rest of the city should move out when the black gangs and the Latin gangs open fire in the war zone. It’ll be like Escape from Los Angeles. But I think the blacks would have an advantage in the basketball sequence.

wy69


11 posted on 06/25/2023 10:25:24 AM PDT by whitney69
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To: ChicagoConservative27
This is not feasible.

Commercial buildings aren't designed like residential buildings.

What's going to happen is that tenants are going to share the breakroom kitchens, the bathrooms, and basically set up bunk bends in office rooms.

12 posted on 06/25/2023 10:25:30 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Bingo. Feds learn nothing from wasted money.


13 posted on 06/25/2023 10:27:09 AM PDT by Fungi
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Chicago is broke.
Who is paying for this? The Federales. Which means you and I am. Half the money will be grifted or stolen.


14 posted on 06/25/2023 10:29:49 AM PDT by dennisw (Never attribute to incompetence-stupidity, that which is adequately explained by malice)
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To: Fungi
Bingo. Feds learn nothing from wasted money.

That's because it's not their own money they earned.

15 posted on 06/25/2023 10:29:51 AM PDT by metmom (He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

A lot of people just don’t understand how and why buildings are built to serve a purpose. Turning office space into apartments is not going to be cheap or easy. Let’s take fire codes. I suspect there will need to be a rated firewall built all the way through the suspended ceiling to separate every unit. As for plumbing, every 1.5 bedrooms is going to require a full bathroom. That’s a lot of plumbing. Where, exactly will you run that plumbing? Then there’s air circulation. The duct work is laid out for an office and the air handler is likely in a closet on each floor or the roof. Each apartment will require a separate air unit. What about escaping the building in an emergency? It’s likely to be different between an office and an apartment. The problems are likely to be so expensive to fix by retrofit it would be cheaper to tear down the buildings and then build special units.


16 posted on 06/25/2023 10:29:56 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Socialism to the rescue!


17 posted on 06/25/2023 10:32:48 AM PDT by Leep (What skill or service did the biden family have that netted them tens of millions of dollars?)
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To: Gen.Blather
You raise several good points, but all can be worked out if the tenants are flexible.

No stove, no sink, no shower, unless you want to share communally.
Ventilation ditto. Of course, if we must share the ventilation, we can't put up any walls to block it off, so forget about privacy too.
It's the new, efficient way to live - dormatory style. You'll get used to it.

18 posted on 06/25/2023 11:09:51 AM PDT by ZOOKER (Until further notice the /s is implied...)
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Ah new Cabrini Green and Robert Taylor like housing projects on the way!


19 posted on 06/25/2023 1:53:42 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: MeganC

So when this work at home doesn’t last will the workers return to the office to find several derelicts lying on the floor smoking cigarettes and drinking cheap booze? And it will be against the law to evict them? Work will be like an urban subway or bus ride.

There used to be (may still be) a federal law that an employer may not fire an employee for drunkeness at work or being unable to communicate due to narcotics. Reason: If the person was getting some kind of counseling or treatment then the firing would impede their recovery. So stay on the job.


20 posted on 06/25/2023 6:00:57 PM PDT by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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