WEST LOOP — In 2015, the Blackhawks brought home their third recent Stanley Cup win, Harpo Studios closed its doors for good and a new gateway marking the entrance of the booming Fulton Market was erected in the West Loop.
But a number of other stories had West Loop and Near West Side residents talking this year. From the aldermanic quote heard 'round the city to deadly shootings at Randolph nightclubs and a tech giant's long-awaited move to the neighborhood, these are the stories that mattered most in 2015.
1. In Rental Debate, Alderman Says West Loop Becoming a "Bigot Neighborhood":
After fielding complaints about new rental developments in the West Loop for months, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) declared in July that the West Loop was becoming a "bigot neighborhood."
Burnett's comments came after a June meeting where more than 300 residents showed to fight a developer's controversial plan to develop a 13-story apartment building at 111 S. Peoria St. At the meeting, many longtime West Loop residents said they opposed a proposed development because it would bring more renters to the area.
Offended West Loop residents, who said they were concerned citizens who cared about the future of the neighborhood, called the speech "the alderman's Donald Trump moment." Burnett didn't back down: "Only wanting renters or only supporting home ownership opportunities is a form of "unconscious discrimination," he said.
Despite the rental debate, LG Development did head back to the drawing board at the alderman's request, presenting a new plan for nine-story plus penthouse building with 95 condominiums. Burnett subsequently approved the plan despite some opposition from neighbors, and the development is expected to be considered by the city's Plan Commission in early 2016.
2. Fulton Market Landmark Plan Approved: In May, City Council officially approved the Fulton-Randolph Market District, a move that designated major stretches of Randolph Street and Fulton Market as a historic district.
Landmark status was considered controversial and was met with heated opposition, as it comes with certain requirements for building owners in the area. The 74-acre landmark tract now includes 87 buildings deemed to be "contributing" to the landmark district, 44 "non-contributing" buildings and 11 vacant lots.
3. Huge Project Could Transform the Neighborhood: The CHA's long-stalled Roosevelt Square development is back on, and renderings released this month show how much it could change the face of the Near West Side. The plan calls for a total of 3,396 total housing units to be developed at Roosevelt Square, nearly tripling the current population at the site, About 43 percent of the housing developed on the 35-block Roosevelt Square site — roughly bounded by Cabrini Street on the north, Blue Island Avenue on the east, 15th Street on the south and Ashland or Loomis on the west — would be market-rate housing.
4. Carmichael's Torn Down For Apartments: The West Loop said goodbye to Carmichael's Steakhouse in March after 18 years in business, making way for apartments to be built at the site starting in May.
Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group plans to open 120 apartments at the site in 2016.
Lots of other planned residential developments are expected to take shape in 2016, too, including: a 38-story apartment tower next to K2 Apartments; 75 apartments at Aberdeen and Lake streets; 70 condos near Harpo Studios; 24 high-end luxury condos near Parlor Pizza; and more apartments at the 3-acre former Salvation Army Freedom Center on the Near West Side, just to name a few.
5. Google Opens New Chicago Headquarters in Fulton Market: Google Chicago's much-anticipated new West Loop offices opened in the former Fulton Market Cold Storage building in December.
The new West Loop headquarters is home to 650 Google employees, and the tech giant now occupies about 200,000 square feet and five floors of the new 550,000-square-foot 1K Fulton building at 1000 W. Fulton Market.
6. Shootings Close Sawtooth and Red Kiva: Two Randolph restaurant/nightclubs closed in 2015 after a string of shootings occurred nearby.
In March, a 29-year-old man was critically injured in a shooting near Sawtooth Restaurant and Lounge, 1350 W. Randolph St. Faced with angry neighbors, a looming eviction and a legal battle with the city, Sawtooth Restaurant and Lounge closed for good in April.
In September, chef power couple David Posey, longtime chef de cuisine at Blackbird, and his wife, Anna Posey, former executive pastry chef at The Publican, announced plans to open a high end restaurant in the former Sawtooth space in 2016.
Also in September, a shooting on the sidewalk outside of nearby Red Kiva left one 23-year-old man dead and injured another. Both the victims and their attackers were at the nightclub before the fight broke out on the street, according to Ald. Burnett. Following the violent incident, Red Kiva agreed to voluntarily close for 60 days.
A city hearing to determine the fate of an embattled West Loop nightclub was later postponed.
7. More and More Restaurants: Randolph's restaurant row continued to live up to its name with a slew of openings, but in 2015, high-profile restaurateurs set their sights on Madison and Fulton Market, too.
How many restaurants opened in the neighborhood in 2015? Almost too many to count, but the sizable list included: Formento's on Randolph in January; Ramen Takeya on Fulton Market in March; Nando's Peri-Peri on Fulton Market in May; Top Chef alum Fabio Viviani's Bar Siena on Randolph in July; Swift & Sons in the 1KFulton building in October; Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on Fulton Market and Chef Sarah Grueneberg's Monteverde on Madison in November.
8. Bartelme Park's Dog Poop Wars: From January to July, seemingly neverending dog-related issues at Mary Bartelme Park were a hot-button topic among nearby neighbors.
Even though the park has a designated dog area, dog owners increasingly bucked Bartelme Park's rules on pet poop and allowed their dogs to roam off leash, prompting an "overwhelming" number of complaints from people who use the park.
Ald. Danny Solis (25th) considered installing cameras around the park to catch poop scofflaws in the act, and in May, signs were installed in an effort to curb the park's ongoing dog poop problems. Someone stealthily removed the signs, tossing them in the trash.
By July, city Animal Care and Control workers were patrolling the West Loop park, prepared to ticket pet owners who refused to follow the park's pet rules.
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