Neighbors concerned about future of Ford City Mall property after City Council approves industrial complex plan

People living near the shuttered Ford City Mall said they remain concerned about the site's future, after the Chicago City Council this week approved plans to transform it into an industrial warehouse complex.

The approval came just days after an urban explorer said a security guard at the shuttered mall attacked him without provocation.

The urban explorer, who asked to remain anonymous, has said he was looking for a way inside the mall on Monday night, when an unmarked SUV drove into his friend on a scooter. The urban explorer, who runs the account Decaying Midwest, said the driver claimed to be a security guard.

Moments later, that urban explorer said the same white SUV caught up with him and hit him on the arm with a piece of metal.

In a statement, Ford City Mall ownership said, in part, "the actions depicted do not reflect mall security protocols nor conduct that ownership condones. We are taking the investigation of this incident very seriously, in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department."

Two days after that incident, the City Council approved a redevelopment plan for the property to convert it to a warehouse and distribution facility.

Adolfo Castrejon, president of the Westlawn Conservation Club, opposed the proposed industrial campus plan.

"I believe it's a bad deal for the Southwest Side of Chicago," Castrejon said.

Instead, his group and other opponents of the industrial complex wanted to see Ford Cit turned into a full entertainment district with housing, shopping, parks, and new public transit options.

After the council's vote moving the plan forward, Castrejon said his group is still keeping an eye on the situation at the shuttered mall.

"It's still very much an environmental issue, from the demolition to the construction," he said.

Those concerns have been echoed by other groups, like the Southside Flourish Movement and Ford City Families Coalition.

"It is a huge health concern on top of all the pollution, and no one has addressed it, and that's what we're here for," said Artemiza "Tammy" Chavez, with the Ford City Families Coalition.

Opponents of the industrial complex said they are also attempting a last-ditch effort to halt the plan.

"We are working on an email campaign right now that's active right now to get the mayor to veto on this," said Glenford Flowers Jr., with the Southside Flourish Movement.

Even if the mayor were to veto the redevelopment plan, it was approved unanimously by the Council, meaning unless at least 17 council members changed their votes, the veto would face a certain override by alders.

Construction on the project is expected to begin early next year.