Charles H. Shaw, whose first development here was Lake PointTower, has equally strong feelings when talking about Homan Square,a mixed-income residential project planned for the former SearsRoebuck & Co. in the depressed Lawndale neighborhood. ForRichard A. Hanson, whose 356-unit Heritage at Millennium Park willsoon begin rising at Wabash Avenue and Randolph Street, another petproject is redevelopment of the Chicago Housing Authority'sStateway Gardens.

Developing Homan Square is as important as Shaw's $185-millionmakeover of Conrad Hilton Hotel, which he says helped spark thecurrent South Loop renaissance. "Homan Square will do the samething on the West Side of Chicago," Shaw says. "Mixed-incomehousing is critical."

So is transit-oriented housing, and Homan Square is close to theChicago Transit Authority's Blue Line. Meanwhile, Stateway Gardensis at the 35th Street Red Line stop, across the Dan Ryan Expresswayfrom Comiskey Park.