The ongoing 95th St. demolition is an unwelcome step backward. This block of 1920s storefronts has been mostly vacant for a while now. From what I've observed over the years and what I've heard from people who contemplated opening a small business on our stretch of 95th St., it seems that either buildings were not well maintained, rents were high for the size and/or quality of the space, or both. The recurring problem of the clogged drain in front of the storefront at 1800 W 95th, with flooding in heavy rains, hasn't helped. With a bit of fix-up, this could have been an attractive block again. Instead, we are getting an unneeded auto parts store with a parking lot.
More car traffic in a location next to a Metra station where many people are walking - brilliant! Replace a vintage building with a generic single-purpose box that will probably be a vacant white elephant in five years - brilliant!
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| Not much left of old 95th St. storefronts |
