Wed. April 30, 2014
Chicago, IL -
The Howard Brown Health Center's (HSBC) flagship Brown Elephant Resale shop may be vacating its prominent location in Boystown, but developers behind the highly publicized OUT Hotel Chicago say they have no interest in straying from original plans.
Ian Reisner of Parkview Developers told ChicagoPride.com that his team is "still working" on plans to open the LGBT-friendly hotel and resort at 3343 N. Halsted St., despite Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) rejecting his proposal in September. And although the soon-to-be-vacant Brown Elephant store is described by Tunney's office as a more suitable location, Reisner says he's staying put.
"[I'm] not moving it," Reisner told ChicagoPride.com. "My interest remains for the same locale as last year."
Parkview Developers has already invested a considerable sum of money into the proposed location above Minibar and Wood, Reisner said at previous neighborhood meetings. The entire project is projected to cost $30 million.
But according to area officials, the Brown Elephant resale shop – located at 3020 N. Lincoln Ave. across from Whole Foods – is a considerably better place for the development.
"We tag-team Halsted Street issues with the 46th ward all the time, and we thought that spot would work much better," said Tunney's Chief of Staff Bennett Lawson. "It's bigger, is cheaper, it's a real corner, and while it's not right next door to Sidetrack, it's pretty close, and still in the heart of other nightlife."
Lawson says since Tunney and the community group Belmont Harbor Neighbors voted against the proposal in September, things have been relatively quiet regarding the hotel development. While the BHN organization has since gone broke and dissolved, partially blaming legal fees fighting the hotel, Lawson says Reisner has stayed mum about any upcoming actions.
"I haven't heard from them since the fall," Lawson said. "When we went through the process and it wasn't going to fly with the alderman, we sort of left it there. I do get an occasional email from Ian, but they haven't come to us with anything more on the hotel."
Reisner did not respond to ChicagoPride.com's questions about any upcoming changes or the project's timeline.
In the meantime, Lawson says he's still holding out for something that works well with the neighborhood.
"We always said we'd be open to other locations or a configuration that blends with the street a bit better, but we haven't seen an update," he said. "Our goal is we'd like something that works for the community and neighborhood."
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