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 10.26.2005 2,000-foot 'Antenna' Could Land Near Navy Pier |
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
October 26, 2005
BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter
First there was the drill-bit building. Now, about a block from it on the city s lakefront, comes a proposal for something that looks like needle-nosed pliers.
Veteran dealmakers J. Paul Beitler and LR Development Co. LLC said Tuesday they have shown the city plans for a 2,000-foot-tall tower that would serve as an antenna host for the digital broadcast needs of local stations.
The tower would be the tallest in the city, which would be necessary to provide clear broadcast signals.
Proposed for an empty lot LR controls at Peshtigo and Illinois streets in Streeterville, the tower would contain some restaurants near its top and a parking garage at the bottom. The balance of the design by architect Cesar Pelli would just be the structure s see-through bracing.
It s a new variation of an idea that has knocked around the city for years. Chicago s TV stations in the late 1990s considered different locations for an antenna tower, but ended up renewing agreements with the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center. That could happen again, and that s only one of the obstacles facing the proposed $300 million project.
The site is across Lake Shore Drive from Lake Point Tower and Navy Pier and immediately north of a proposed 115-story condominium building, the drill bit designed by Santiago Calatrava. The height of the Calatrava building is indefinite, but it could reach 2,000 feet with a spire.
With aldermanic and mayoral elections ahead in 2007, both projects could have a tough haul getting city approval.
Beitler, whose plans for a "world s tallest building at Madison and Wells fell apart in the 1980s, said he showed the antenna tower to Mayor Daley a couple of weeks ago. He said the mayor and downtown s alderman, Burton Natarus (42nd), encouraged him to file a zoning request for the project, but urged him to seek neighborhood support.
LR President Thomas Weeks said the building should add relatively little to traffic congestion. He said it ll serve as an extra attraction for Navy Pier tourists.
"This is quite a compelling alternative to the standard proposal for a condo building, Weeks said. "We believe the neighborhood will accept it, if not embrace it.
A spokesman for the city s Planning Department had no comment on the proposal. Jim Houston, president of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, said the civic group will have no position until it sees details.
Beitler said the project has a commitment for construction financing from LaSalle Bank.
The estimated three-year construction project could begin next July if city approvals are received, Beitler said. |
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