R.I.P.: Park Michigan

It's game over for the Park Michigan.  We hear that the svelte tower that was supposed to rehab the old YWCA on Michigan Avenue at 9th street (official address is 830 South Michigan Avenue) is dead.  The idea was to rehab the historic Y and add the condo tower behind it in order to make the project profitable.  But it's just not happening and the property is up for sale again.

In the end, what killed it?  We're not sure.  We're hearing two possibilities -- significant structural deficiencies in the YWCA, and pressure from the so-called "community groups."  You know the ones -- the NIMBYs who have got their view and won't let anyone else have one.

So instead of getting these:

• Landmark tower
  
• Hundreds of new residents
  
• Millions of new tax dollars
  
• New grocery store
  
• New ground floor retail
  
• New restaurants
  
• Preserved YWCA building
  

The South Loop gets to keep these:

• Abandoned, unsound YWCA building
  
• A surface parking lot
  

Good job, NIMBYs.