Made in the Shade? Not Yet for Lake Shore Drive High-Rise as Opposition Mounts

Final approval for the largest residential development on the lakefront in many years, a planned a 49-story condominium tower at 600 N. Lake Shore Dr., may be delayed when Chicago’s City Council meets on Aug 30. At issue is whether or not the building will significantly block afternoon sunlight, casting shadows at Ohio Street Beach which is directly across from the planned $200 million development.

“We expect that Mayor Daley will move to delay the approval while further study is made,” says Bess Demopoulos of the neighborhood group Streeterville Organization of Active Residents (SOAR). “We’ve accumulated over 5,000 signatures in a petition opposing the height of the building and we expect that to have a big influence on the mayor and council.” Neither the mayor nor a spokesperson for the mayor’s office could be reached for comment.

Demopoulos admitted that over half the petition’s signatures come from tourists visiting nearby Navy Pier, signatures that are likely to have little influence over Chicago politicians. Also, Alderman Burt Natarus, in whose 42nd Ward the development falls, is strongly behind the project. “That vacant lot has been a eyesore for 20 years,” he said.