Re: Homes on Goose Island?
Date: July 14, 2011 12:38PM
From [url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/300045.html]The Encyclopedia of Chicago History[/url]:
[i]No more than three families lived on Goose Island during the 1970s, and by 1985 only one house remained on the island. Goose Island had ended a second round of settlement, with most of the housing on its three residential streets destroyed. Despite the demise of worker housing, however, the area reemerged as a potential site for more affluent residents by the late 1980s. Just as developers eyed prime riverfront property closer to downtown, the empty lots on Goose Island began to attract interest and a healthy debate on the future of Goose Island ensued. One Near North residential developer commented: "Dirty industrial uses do not belong. As the city has changed over the years, it has become desirable that the heavy industry not be in the core of the city. It affects the quality of life for everybody. Although I don't think it should be legislated out of existence, it seems to me that over time it will be natural for it to move out." One longtime Goose Island resident disagreed, arguing for new industries to come to the island: "If it's a choice between industry or the new development [residential], I'd prefer the industry because it would be better for my business [restaurant and tavern.]" In May 1990, Mayor Daley backed the designation of Goose Island as a Planned Manufacturing District (PMD), which was supported by the local alderman. Daley commented that "the proposed district would help the industries on the island to expand and to retain jobs." By late 1997, virtually all the land in one of the resulting industrial parks had been filled. [/i]