Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, along with partners from 548 Enterprise and Related Midwest, broke ground on February 17 on 4300 W. Roosevelt Road in North Lawndale as part of INVEST South/West, Mayor Lightfoot’s signature economic development initiative.
Article continues below
>
The $68 million project will leverage the location’s strengths in freight and logistics with four new buildings, including two 181,760 square foot, solar-powered industrial warehouses with more than 50 dock spaces and two 5,000 square foot innovation centers and a public park for community use.
The innovation centers will maximize opportunities for neighborhood groups to host community meetings and events as well as workforce development programs. The project is expected to bring 250 temporary jobs and 250 permanent jobs to North Lawndale.
City support for the project includes $8 million in Tax Increment Financing assistance and the sale of 21 acres of City-owned land for $1 per lot. The groundbreaking featured a solar panel demonstration, local musical talent Bianca Shaw, and breakfast pastries and coffee provided by North Lawndale establishments Bee Love Cafe and Trini’s Tasty Pastries.
The neighborhood park will adjoin the innovation center buildings and is designed to support activities such as markets, food trucks and pop-up stands.
The landscaping plan by Site Design Group (MBE) aims to reintroduce native biodiversity through replanting historic ground species. The 3-acre green space will offer three distinct public spaces, a circuitous fitness path, and over 300 shade trees throughout the site.
In addition, the project will include a three-megawatt rooftop community solar system that will be supported by a West Side training program and power approximately 500 West Side homes.
The site is located in the Roosevelt/Cicero Industrial Corridor, bounded by Roosevelt Road, and Kostner, Kildare and Fifth Avenues.
Prior to its acquisition by the City, the industrial corridor was occupied by a Copenhagen snuff plant and other industrial users before being cleared in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 1990s, the site was a source of controversy when several aldermen took bribes to allow illegal dumping of hazardous materials on the land, which created dangerous conditions for nearby residents and led to an FBI probe known as Operation Silver Shovel.
The project is expected to be completed in Fall 2024. ■