James Cooper

Chicago is in a housing crisis & in dire need of tax revenue. Yet @AldermanHopkins has decided to oppose a project that would bring $2.5m/year in tax revenue, a grocery store, & is identical in scale with its neighboring high-rises. Ald. Hopkins is an agent of our city's decline.

Alderman Hopkins has announced his decision to block a proposed development that would have brought 500 new apartments and a grocery store to Old Town Chicago. The tower was projected to bring in $2.5 million per year of property taxes for the City of Chicago. It would have 400 market rate apartments, and 100 affordable units as mandated by the Affordable Requirements Ordinance. There are many towers in the area with the same height. The proposal fits the 'neighborhood character'. The city just had its credit rating lowered, and elected officials in wards where new housing can pencil out are busy restricting investment into the city. The inmates are running the asylum. Actions speak louder than words @AldermanHopkins. You have forfeited your ability to complain about rising property taxes ever again.

@mymixtapez So you're saying we should have sent those $500 million in aging weapon systems to California instead?

Four days after sending $500 Million to Ukraine, Biden announces a “one-time payment of $770” to California fire victims. 🇺🇸🫡

@AP Tale as old as time.

Italian soccer club Lazio fires falconer for posting photos of his penis implant apnews.com/article/lazio-…

@EtiolatedLimb @Nirgal451 @buildhomez @SustainableTall My gut says full-scale demo won’t happen and is being described as option of last resort. Retrofit and redevelopment of the parking lot has got to be more cost-effective.

Possible plans to demolish the 65-storey tower at 311 South Wacker, Chicago Would be the tallest building ever demolished voluntarily The building is only 35 years old. I estimate an embodied carbon of around 150,000 tonnes of CO2 costar.com/article/173154…

@Nirgal451 @buildhomez @SustainableTall It’s not really a purpose-built parking lot, initial plans called for a second tower here.

@buildhomez @SustainableTall Yeah, I saw that. It's just the fact that surface parking is an actual land use in a downtown/CBD. I'm not aware of a single surface carpark in the entire Sydney CBD.

Happening tomorrow Jan 15 @ 6pm The first-ever 'inclusionary application' community meeting in Chicago. The developer is attempting to bypass aldermanic prerogative, a gentlemen's agreement where a proposal requires the support of the local alderman to be approved. Come out! 🔗👇

If you’d like to see 500 new homes get built in Old Town, the most impactful thing you can do is call Alderman Hopkins’ office! (312) 643-2299 Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 9AM-5PM

@nypost Oh no, does this mean the average funeral that just has to be held in the central business district will cost $10,009 instead of $10,000.

Funeral directors will pass on $9 NYC congestion toll to grieving families — as hearse drivers aren’t exempt trib.al/RqYUVWP

@the_transit_guy I wouldn’t be so sure. Not only does Project 2025 specifically calls for defunding transit, but Elon also considers investment in public transit a threat to Tesla.

Even Trump wants us to get bullet trains! Can't wait. "They go unbelievably fast, unbelievably comfortable with no problems, and we don't have anything like that in this country. Not even close. And it doesn't make sense that we don't, doesn't make sense." (8/12/24)

@lawler4ny @MTA @GovKathyHochul

Imagine being such an asshole as to celebrate screwing New Yorkers out of their hard earned money just for the privilege to drive to work. We will end this scam! Simply put, the @MTA needs an enema starting with John Lieber. And @GovKathyHochul needs to be defeated in 2026!

@chicagobars The Staley - in Kroll’s old spot - has large projectors playing sports and plenty of space.

I got a request for a Chicago spot with large TVs and upscale food for six on Friday but game audio not required. Thoughts?

@publicpolicyman You are a grade-A moron. This business closed 3 years ago, in a suburb, before the guy you are blaming was even in office.

FOUR YEARS AGO: Bar Louie closed permanently, on Golf in Schaumburg, Illinois. Governor Pritzker & Mayor Brandon Johnson destroying commerce, jobs, & lives. EMPTY CHICAGO STOREFRONT PROJECT: Im posting daily empty storefronts as businesses leave at a high rate. I blame massive property taxes, 10.25% sales tax, high state income tax, poor schools, high crime, retail theft, lack of jobs, high minimum wage, high cigarette & gas tax, overregulation, bag tax, government corruption, pension mess, & bad public policy. #EmptyStorefrontProject

@madswag4315 Reggie’s

@hsrgood How and why? Its always crowded even during off-hours.

The McDonald's inside union station has now permanently closed.

@Sarcasm_____INC @OnlyInBOS @MayorWu This is literally a picture of an ambulance able to successfully circumvent bumper to bumper car traffic by using bike lane. Seems to me like this bike lane saved some lives today.

@OnlyInBOS It’s a matter of public safety for first responders to give to proper care to the public. But @MayorWu doesn’t care. More bike lanes don’t save lives you liberal dolt.

@Metra - I just left a large conference at McCormick Place and almost no one considered taking the @metraMED back to the Loop because the schedule shows it’s a 30min trip when in reality it’s only 8-10mins. You should consider getting rid of this kind of scheduling ‘padding’.

@sarahslavin @Arjaytoo @ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC I do. I live near 2 nursing homes and frequently see people in wheelchairs choosing to use bike lanes versus the uneven/poorly maintained sidewalks. There is also a segment people that can’t drive for medical reasons and need to rely on other forms of transpo including biking.

@jdcooper88 @Arjaytoo @ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC Do you see these bike lanes as inclusive for people with disabilities?

New protected bike lanes are now on Halsted from Van Buren to Roosevelt! This project links with existing protected lanes on Harrison and Taylor and connects to key destinations like the @cta Blue Line and @thisisUIC.

@Arjaytoo @ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC What a disingenuous argument considering NHTSA's data shows cars killed 40,990 in the US in 2023 alone. That and the overwhelming majority of research on the subject concludes that bike infrastructure improves safety outcomes for *all road users*.

@jdcooper88 @ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC Actually, I see automoblies give the right of way to first responders all the time. It's the bicyclists that ignore all rules of the road and traffic around them including pedestrians who must dodge the bicyclists or be run down.

@Arjaytoo @ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC A good case to be made for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure and as well as improved bus service so we can get more of those cars off the road and out of the way of our first responders!

@ChicagoDOT @cta @thisisUIC With the raised curbs of the bike lanes I found myself trapped in traffic when an ambulance approached from behind while heading west on Belmont. The ambulance had to wait until traffic began to move. I guess a life lost is worth it as long as the bikes lanes are “protected”.