The parking-defiant phenomenon that is the "Tower of Pizza Hut" at Ashland and Division has people buzzed about the future of transit-oriented development in the current parking-crazed development climate. Over on Skyscraper Page, someone asked what sizable (defined here as 100+ occupants) new residential construction already exists that excludes a parking component. Another forum member answered with a list of four in addition to the tower at 1601 W Division. We found one more to round out our map: Pilsen's La Casa student dorm. The list includes two other dorms, a hotel, and a special-stay facility. That leaves the "Tower of Pizza Hut" alone in its class: a 99-unit market-rate rental building that depends solely on existing surface lot and street parking. Select adaptive reuses of older structures (Del Prado, Randolph Tower City Apartments, various loft conversions) provide the only other instances of large residential additions to neighborhoods without an increase in parking. We can't say what's on the horizon, but at least there's been some advancement. To the map!
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Mapped: Six New Residential Buildings That Dispense With Parking
Roosevelt University Vertical Campus
The showiest dorm in the history of the universe, RU's Vertical Campus wrapped up in May at Congress and Wabash. The contorted 32-story tower makes a big impression on the Loop and now houses over 600 students plus several floors of classrooms. Parking? Ha! Let 'em walk.
East-West Student Living Center
About half-way to topping out, East-West University's new student center and dorm will log 17 stories and 220 beds. The all-commuter school makes no mention of parking, as they're most interested in anchoring a piece of their student body in The Loop.
Tri-Hotel Project
The tri-hotel project, as it has come to be known, is on the march in River North. Anchored by an Aloft Hotel, the 180-foot complex will also include a Hyatt Place and Fairfield Inn, for a total of 650 rooms.Completion: mid-2013. Added parking: none
"Tower of Pizza Hut"
This 99-unit rental tower will climb 12 stories at the corner of Ashland & Division, opposite the Division Blue Line. The community demanded good progressive design and got several additional stories and the erasure of a parking component. The ground floor will be totally devoted to retail. It helps that a Wendy's surface lot already exists, which will be shared with residents.
Ronald McDonald House
This anomaly opened in early 2012. It's charitable lodging designed for short- to medium-length stays for families of sick children, and focuses on their around-the-clock comfort without worrying too much about parking.
La Casa Student Dorm
La Casa is only six stories tall, but manages 105 student housing slots, geared towards Latino college kids who can't afford or don't want to move to more expensive areas for school. The T.O.D. development is no more than 100 yards from the 18th Street "L".
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