CHICAGO—An industrial developer's plan to turn the a portion of the former Ford City Mall property into a logistics center was approved Thursday by the Chicago Plan Commission, whose members voted to rezone the property from retail into industrial use. The plan was brought before the commission by Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th), who last year told residents that the project would put "acres and acres of land back on the tax rolls."
Last summer, Kurv Industrial (formerly Bridge) floated its plan before the community to acquire a portion of the property and demolish the main building to construct a logistics center for $200 million. Kurv opened a similar logistics center nearby at 5133 W. 65th St. in Bedford Park.
The alderman told residents at a community meeting last year that while he supports commercial development in the 18th Ward, he would not go against the wishes of the community.
The once-grand Ford City Shopping Center that became a shopping mecca on Chicago's Southwest Side had already fallen on hard times when it was acquired in 2019 by New York-based Namdar Realty. Residents' hopes were raised that the new owner would restore the mid-century mall to its former commercial glory, but the mall continued to fall into disrepair.
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Leonard Murray ordered the former shopping center enclosed in a former World War II munitions plant to be vacated in June following an emergency motion from the city's law department. Chicago Department of Buildings inspectors declared that a leaking fire suppression system put the building at risk of "catastrophic structural failure" and possibly becoming a sinkhole, endangering the safety of tenants and shoppers.
Kurv's plan calls for four industrial buildings totaling 913,000 square feet, with 923 parking spaces and 92 loading docks. The proposed development will incorporate LEED-certified building design that aligns with the city's climate and sustainability goals.
Before Thursday's Plan Commission meeting, the developer sweetened the plan by throwing in some community perks, including rebuilding 76th Street running along the edge of the planned industrial park. Kurv also said it would create a new CTA bus terminal with four boarding lanes near the site's northeast corner along Kostner Avenue, Crain's Chicago Business reported.
Several plan commission members questioned if the Kurv's proposal received enough community scrutiny. Six plan commission members abstained from voting, but the measure passed despite a contingent of neighborhood residents who had called for a moratorium on the Ford City Mall's redevelopment.
Neighbors of the West Lawn community collected over 1,000 signatures on online petitions denouncing the Kurv plan. In a Facebook post rallying West Lawn neighbors to attend Thursday's plan commission meeting, Esau Chavez, a member of the West Lawn Conservation Club, expressed concerns that the planned warehouses could eventually be turned into data centers. No such plan has been proposed.
"Ford City is for families, we want the orange line, commercial center, and environmentally sound development, not suburban-style warehouses choking the neighborhood," Chavez said.
Jason Huff, an 8th District Police councilman and community organizer, told Patch at first he was opposed to selling the property and switching from retail to manufacturing. Now he said he's resigned to Ford City's fate, since it was the only viable offer made on the site. Too many people are stirring the pot on social media, with community members stirring political ambitions.
"Are you for the community, or are you trying to benefit yourselves," he said. "At least it's not a data center."
The Chicago City Council still needs to approve the development before Kurv can begin construction.
See how the Chicago Plan Commission voted:
Total: 6 yes, 6 abstain, 1 recusal, 1 no
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