March 2009

Letter from the President

As many of you know by now, I've agreed to serve as president of South Loop Neighbors this year. I've always been more of a behind-the-scenes guy, focused on planning and development issues, so I was a little reluctant to take a front-and-center position. But I've also always been a strong believer in the need for a strong neighborhood association, stretching back to the 1980s, when I served a couple of years as president of the original South Loop Neighbors Association. SLN brought in a new and energetic batch of board members this year, and as the seasoned old-timer, it seemed appropriate that I should accept a leadership role.

While development issues will be less prominent for the next couple of years, due largely to the economic slow-down, it is important to realize that a lot of the planning for things that will happen in the next real estate cycle will soon be taking place, so we can't relax completely. Our young neighborhood is in a sort of adolescence. Decisions are being made about the big parcels around the edges that will affect the livability of the South Loop for the next century, and we want to be sure those are good decisions. When strategic development or other issues do arise, having a strong and well-organized membership base will be crucial to our ability to address them most effectively.

As part of this readiness planning, and also in response to the quickly-growing South Loop population, we're working this year to strengthen the membership and community aspects of South Loop Neighbors. People who've chosen to live here share an appreciation for the pleasures of being city dwellers, and we're planning all sorts of urban events - from community dinners to Jazz Showcase outings to architectural and historical tours - so that we can enjoy them as neighbors.

Finally, please join me in thanking Mike Kelly for serving the last two years as president. He was one of the founders of the organization, under the name Historic Printers Row Neighbors, and his leadership was crucial over the last few years in revitalizing the group and keeping it a strong presence in an ever-changing community. South Loop Neighbors owes him a great deal. Thanks, Mike, for all your hard work!

Sincerely,
Dennis McClendon
SLN President

*****

Neighbors Gather for Family-Style Dinner
by Bonnie McGrath

Some people say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but about 50 members of South Loop Neighbors found out on Februrary 11th that there IS such a thing as a free dinner.

Over family-style platters of several wonderful salads (my favorite was the formaggio salad) and an array of different pasta dishes, current members of SLN reconnected not only with neighbors and old friends, but with Trattoria Caterina, a long-time Printers Row casual-dining standard. (616 S. Dearborn St.)

The restaurant's hospitality was extraordinary, especially when our group outgrew the party room and in the midst of a full house in the main dining room, staff was able to combine several small tables for a full-size overflow group. This was after owner Jim Soteropoulos had already been more than generous in agreeing to host the dinner for a song. What a great neighbor!

The vibe of the evening was positively ebullient. Everyone seemed surprised to see everyone else and generally delighted that so many people came out for this SLN gathering. There was a full spectrum of folks - from veteran SLNers like me to new young faces and even a couple of babies. It seemed the neighborhood had spoken: We ARE a community and we DO want there to be a community association.

Besides warming our hearts and stomachs on a very cold winter night, the free-to-members dinner turned out to be an excellent membership-building event. In fact, most people who attended the dinner had expired SLN memberships that they chose to renew at the door or were new members who joined at the door. Not a single person opted to pay the $20 price for dinner rather than the $35 fee for a year's membership. I happen to know that one woman paid only for dinner when she arrived, but by the time she left she wanted to join the group so she paid the remaining $15 for membership. The SLN spirit won her over!

Not only did neighborhood souls talk and laugh and eat, they also learned the latest from SLN President Dennis McClendon, who answered questions and filled up diners with neighborhood development news while they filled themselves up with Italian fare. And wine. The wine was plentiful. Caterina is a BYOB restaurant, and our neighbors joyfully brought and shared bottles. Thanks, by the way, to Printers Row Wine Shop - just across the street from Caterina - which gave a 15% discount to SLN members for this dinner.

And the good times are just beginning. SLN Vice President and Membership Chair Helen Kaplow is already talking to other venues in the neighborhood so that in the future even more people can experience this happy fact: For SLN members, there IS such a thing as a free dinner... and a free night at Jazz Showcase... and a free cultural tour... and more. Watch for news of these events via SLN emails.

*****

Business Profile: A New Business Blooms
by Greg Borzo

Although the Sweet Petal flower shop is new to the South Loop, its owner, Melisa Jimenez, is not. She was drawn to the area years ago to attend Columbia College and has lived here for the last six years, now residing near Roosevelt Road and Wabash Avenue.

Several years ago, Melisa worked at That Flower Shop at 537 S. Dearborn for two years. She enjoyed the experience so much that she opened her own shop last May - in the very same storefront, which had become a children's clothing store after That Flower Shop closed.

"I love the area and am committed to this store," she said. "My goal is to enrich peoples' lives with the natural beauty of flowers."

The interior of Sweet Petal and its frequently changed window displays are elegant and creative, reflecting Melisa's training in interior design and her previous career in that field. She has studied flower arranging and offers adult and children courses on that subject. (Call 312-939-6544 for dates and times.)

Running the store by herself, Melisa somehow manages to keep it open six days a week. She specializes in fresh cut flowers and every week makes three early morning trips to her wholesale suppliers. Sweet Petal is known for its $5 and $10 bouquet-of-the-day specials.

Melisa offers personalized service at her store and is proud to not be part of a chain. She publishes a monthly newsletter, sells cards she designed herself, and helps customers recycle glass vases in exchange for a $5 discount or a free flower.

Her customer service and attention to detail appear to have paid off. Sweet Petal is about to reach its one-year anniversary and seems to be thriving, which makes this business profile a sweet success story.

Sweet Petal: 537 S. Dearborn St., www.sweetpetalchicago.com, 312-939-6544

*****

Development Update
by Dennis McClendon

Growing college enrollments have developers making plans for three new student residences despite the economic downturn. The owners of the Buckingham, at 67 E. Van Buren, are planning a large expansion of that student residence. A new building on the parking lot at the corner of Van Buren and Wabash would rise 37 stories and be home to 1200 students. The project would be completed by the beginning of the 2011 academic year.

In the middle of the same block, Roosevelt University has plans to replace the current Herman Crown Hall with a 400-500 foot tall residence hall.

The City of Chicago has chosen Kargil Development to redevelop the parking lot just north of the Roosevelt Hotel, in the 1100 block of Wabash. Kargil plans a student housing project as well, which will require no parking.

Still in doubt is the fate of the Fine Arts Annex, a small five story building designed by Andrew Rebori that many think deserves Chicago Landmark status. In 2007, Roosevelt bought the small building, which stands just north of Crown Hall.

Columbia College's Media Production Center is under construction at the southwest corner of 16th and State. The two-story building, designed by Studio Gang Architects, will include sound stages, various studios, and editing facilities for the college, whose national reputation as a film school has been hampered by having no studio space.

Avalon Bay's project at the southwest corner of Polk & Clark is dead. Avalon Bay, which owns and manages apartment complexes all across the country, has closed its Chicago development office. And D2 Development has cancelled plans for an apartment building between Amli 900 and Target.

A total replacement building for Jones College Prep is officially "on hold" for the moment but could be revived quickly under new Board of Education leadership, or with newly available stimulus money. Under the plan, a new seven-story building would occupy the former Pacific Garden Mission site, extending all the way to Polk. The current building site could then be sold for redevelopment. A local school council meeting was held in January to discuss ways that an expanded Jones might also serve neighborhood residents.

The Church of Scientology's application for rezoning of the Artcraft Building at 650 S. Clark has been approved by the City Council Committee on Zoning. The church plans to renovate the building, one of the city's finest examples of Arts & Crafts design, as its primary Chicago facility.

A small addition to 1212 South Michigan is in the works. By reconfiguring workout room and racquetball court space next to the alley and taking in a small unused lawn area on the corner of Roosevelt and Michigan, the building's owners will create space for a two-story (plus roof deck) restaurant and sports-themed bar.