Late Day/Night Post and I'm BEAT!!!!!!!!!
This is my last RENOVATION MEETING POST! I think I've ventured enough into this field and grasped everything I will ever need to know about that end of Real Estate. So with out further adieu, I had a two part meeting/chat/late brunch today with Wendy Parks of U of C, Calmetta Coleman of U of C, James Hennessy Director of Commercial Real Estate Operations for U of C and Christopher Dillion of Vermillion Development.
I set aside a whole day for this because its nearest and dearest to my heart HYDE PARK, IL!! I'll give you a brief momentum of my history! I pretty much grew up in this area leaving a lower end South Side of Chicago School to attend Phillip Murray Language Academy (HYDE PARK) and then later attended Kenwood Academy (HYDE PARK)! Even though I lived past DREXEL BLVD. (dividing street of Hyde Park and Grand Boulevard) coming up as a teen, my family did everything in HYDE PARK! I moved back home 3 years ago and flocked back to HYDE PARK, so I know and adore the area and not to mention I wanted to get my foot in the door, in case my LIFE CHANGE wants to make HYDE PARK its home.*winks*
I heard about the development when Mayor Daley was in office so this is not a Rahm Emanuel project the credit goes to Richard M. Daley on this one, Sorry Rahm!!! lmbo
Anyway, I decided to go get some inside information on the project, the development and planned accomplishment for it. First, the project is headed by the University of Chicago because they own the development (HARPER COURT) in which this major project is happening. There have been talks of remodeling that area for years but based on politics,demographics and some smaller businesses in that area not wanting to leave, it took 8 years for them to finally get it underway.I have to admit when I first saw them tearing down HARPER COURT I was taken aback but it seems their intentions are well beyond superior, so I guess I'm conflictingly on board. lol
The development will include the U of C Administration Office, LA Fitness, Five Guys Resturant (already in place), HYDE PARK HYATT Place Hotel, Chipotle, AKIRA Shoe & Clothing Store, The Harper Theatre, Park 52 (already in place) and The Checkerboard Lounge. Also, on the 53rd Street Strip there is also a Clarke's 24 HR. Diner that has already made its debut.The major plan of course is to bring revenue and jobs to Hyde Park in order to keep neighborhood functions free, parks & beaches/lakes cleaner/securer, and OMG more parking lots to eliminate meter parking (I'm so for this lol).
It has partnered up with The Hyde Park Chamber of Congress, The Hyde Park Historical Society, as well as Kenwood Academy in giving their support of the project. The Development doesn't get its complete Grand Opening until Summer of 2013 but its caused a lot of excitement mainly among the younger crowd in that area , so their plan is definitely working so far.
On the Real Estate end (MY END) they are hoping to attract more residents to the HYDE PARK area. They are marketing the younger college crowd mainly because of MAC Properties which owns majority of the Residential Properties (Condos, Brownstones, and Apartment Complexes). It is also part of a plan to be a solution to the 2008 Financial Real estate Crisis, where Chicago was hit the hardest. Hyde Park along with the West Loop and The Former Cabrini Green Area are using the HYPER-LOCAL approach by boasting commercial and residential development. They also are appealing to Retailers (small and large) for business as they will have commercial property space available. According to Chris Dillion, " We market mainstream to get an upstream flow, do you get it?" *in verbatim I swear he said that to me lol*
**I should be a reporter lol but anyway mainly The HP 53rd area is catering to the Hip Trend going down right now and money money money is the reason...< no negative tone IJS>***
~Note to Self/Blog: My main concern with this project is the traffic it will cause, mostly negative. I expressed my concerns with all whom I met with but that talk is not for this blog! lol It's definitely a neighborhood watch or city community activist subject but I wanted to NOTE TO SELF about this topic!~
Thanks To Calmetta and Wendy for the information and Chris and James for dinner or late brunch as they called it!!!
Any entreprenuers looking for retail space in THE HARPER COURT DEVELOPMENT contact:
Vermillion Development (Christopher Dillion or Dave Cocagne)
401 N. Franklin Street, Suite 4 South
Chicago, Illinois 60654
p: 312 488 1918
Here are some pics of the THE HARPER COURT DEVELOPMENT:
BEFORE:
AFTER: (SUMMER 2013)
THE HARPER COURT
HYDE PARK HYATT PLACE HOTEL
AKIRA STORETheater
