City selects mixed-use redevelopment project for McKinley Park warehouse
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A historic warehouse in McKinley Park is getting new life.
The 571,000 square-foot property sits on a six-and-a-half-acre site at 1717-69 W. Pershing Rd.
Built in 1918, the city-owned property was once part of the heart of the central manufacturing district in McKinley Park. It was originally known as the Quartermaster Depot, and was built for the U.S. Army in 1915.
But the building has long been vacant.
On Thursday, the city Department of Planning and Development announced it has approved a proposal to transform the building into mixed-income housing, an office hub, and a grocery store.
The project calls for tearing down a center section of the building to create two partially-detached structures and an interior courtyard. One structure will be 120 mixed-income apartments from studios to three-bedroom units, while the other will be a 20,445-square-foot innovative office hub and tech incubator, the city said.
About 120 parking spaces and rooftop amenities will be available to tenants and visitors. The façade and other historic elements of the building will be retained, the city said.
The eastern portion of the property currently contains a one-story city maintenance facility, which will become a 50,000-square-foot grocery store, the city said.
"The Pershing Road project is an example of how innovative thinking and design can breathe new life into our historic spaces, while expanding affordable housing opportunities for Chicagoans," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. "I look forward to the potential this project holds to revitalize the McKinley Park community, including plans for mixed-income housing, a grocery store, and office space to benefit neighbors and create jobs."
The city solicited proposals for the site in July 2022, and went with the IBT Group as the contractor. Also part of the development team are Epstein, APMonarch, dbHMS, Site, Englewood Construction, and ARCO/Murray, the city said.
The project is estimated to cost about $121 million, with a mix of private and public funding.