The promise of a new high-rise tucked behind the Boulevard Arcade building at 1033 South Boulevard might sound like progress, but as someone who spent 50 years in the construction trenches – from downtown Chicago skyscrapers to O’Hare terminals – I detect a dangerous miscalculation. At a community meeting on Dec. 3, project architect John Schiess made a bold claim: he plans to stage materials and operate a crane on South Boulevard while traffic and life continue as usual.
In the world of heavy steel and high-rise gravity, that isn’t just optimistic; it’s unrealistic. The plan to carry tons of materials over a pedestrian walkway and 85 feet across the roof of the Boulevard Arcade to a back-alley construction site defies logic. This stretch of South Boulevard is a major thoroughfare, bustling with buses, emergency vehicles, commuter cars, and walkers headed to the Metra and Green Line stations.
Industry standards and the Chicago Municipal Code are clear: you do not swing crane loads over occupied streets or active sidewalks. Period. Safe construction requires barricading the entire swing radius of the crane, restricting public access beneath any suspended loads – including the shops and offices below – and protecting crane bases with concrete barriers to separate them from traffic. A crane with this range will be massive, and these requirements are not “optional” suggestions; they are the fundamental rules for protecting the public.
When a developer claims a project of this scale won’t impact street access, it raises a red flag about their understanding of safety protocols. This isn’t about resisting development; it’s about realism. I urge Oak Park staff and Plan commissioners to scrutinize the actual construction plan (now available online and at village hall) and verify that realistic details are in place before endorsing this proposal. When the Plan Commission reviews this project at its Feb. 19 hearing, public safety must be the priority, not a secondary thought.
Michael Michalik
Oak Park
