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Plans Emerge For Ambitious Riverside Development In River West

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 19, 2017 8:30PM

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Goettsch Partners / Photo via DNAinfo

Although the plan isn't yet finalized, we got a glimpse of how one of Chicago's next major riverfront developments could materialize—and it's pretty ambitious.

A rendering and concept description popped up on the website for Riverside Investment & Development, who in partnership with Tribune Media, are developing the property at teh property at 700 W Chicago. The site is near the intersection of Chicago and Halsted, along the Chicago River, and includes a 115,000-square-foot building once used by the Tribune.

A since-deleted description on Riverside's website outlined the plans: a mixed-used development of towers that would include residential, commercial and retail space—totaling at least 1.5 million square feet, plus 4.5 acres in park space.

According to Curbed, who first spotted the now-gone website update, Riverside (they also of the massive, new 150 N Riverside downtown tower and a huge proposed tower on Wacker Dr., between Randolph and Washington streets) has once again wrangled architecture firm Goettsch Partners for the design.

But as DNAinfo reported, the plan as is went back out of public view after the Curbed report appeared.

Tribune Media spokesperson Gary Weitman told Chicagoist via email:

"The plan for 700 West Chicago has not been finalized and is very much a work in progress. We continue working closely with the city planning department to secure the necessary input and approvals for the development of this area. This early version of a possible proposal for the area was placed on Riverside’s website by mistake and has since been removed."

The development, which lies in the southeast end of the North Branch Corridor, would still need to be rezoned.