"In this economy, we're looking to form a partnership with someone, and there are a lot of theories about developing that project," Tabing says. "We're advertising nationwide for a partner for the next five to seven years."

The city expects to issue requests for qualifications before the end of the year, Tabing says. Meanwhile, the city enlisted the Urban Land Institute's Chicago district council and the American Institute of Architects, which co-hosted a two-day workshop in September for developers, retailers, lenders and brokers to solicit ideas for Block 37, which has been a 10-year redevelopment odyssey that has failed to advance beyond Square One.

"It's empty and needs to be developed, not only for the site, but for the vitality of Downtown," Tabing says.

The movement toward the RFQ process stems from the workshop, when it was suggested the city should identify a backup development team in case negotiations with its first choice fail to produce an agreement in a predetermined time frame. Conceding market forces and the developer will determine uses, office (30%) emerged as a favorite with small group members, followed by retail (20%) and hotel (15%). Multifamily (15%) was split almost evenly between rental and condominium.