It's been decades since this was first proposed, but finally some dirt is turning with the Metra Market project.
This will take that bricked-up arcade beneath the Metra rail tracks north of the Ogilvie Transportation Center and turn it into a shopping and restaurant plaza. Similar projects have been successful from Paris to Evanston, and with the recent spike in residential density in the West Loop it looks like this might actually happen this time.
The lead tenant is supposed to be a "French Market" (not sure if that's a brand or a description) which will be made up of a couple dozen specialty food vendors (cheeses, breads, etc...) Boutique foods marts have increased in popularity in the last few years in the Loop are with the emergence of Fox & Obel, Pastoral, Lavazza, and others. Hopefully they will do as well or better in the West Loop location. However, what downtown really needs is a proper butcher shop. Abe Froman would blanch at the current state of Chicago's retail meat scene.
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