Residents continue to push back against proposed housing at Mars/Wrigley factory in Galewood

Galewood residents continued to push back over what the old historical Mars/Wrigley chocolate factory may become during a meeting on Wednesday night.

The current plan is to make the 20-acre lot into 500 housing units. People said this needs to be a space for the community, and whatever ends up here is going to have a massive impact on the neighborhood.

The old Mars/Wrigley factory, which sat next to the Metra tracks, has been a staple of the Galewood community for decades. 

Dozens of people came to a meeting to present their ideas of what they want to see the factory become instead of housing.

They brought those ideas to the developer and Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th).

Their list contains some amenities like a library, a grocery store, restaurants, a job training center, and a sports complex. Their goal is not to see any housing, although the developer says the area is zoned for some homes.

"We'll take the ideas that the Galeswood and Montclare folks have for the development, and we will see if we can work them out in the plan," McCaffrey Interests President Ed Woodbury.

"All of this is within walking distance as a one-stop shop, that ownership is taking place by the residents, and it's a great model to move forward," Michael Nardello with the Galewood Montclare Community Organization.

There is no set timeline for when a plan could be approved at this point.

They are planning to put a referendum on the ballot this November, but the overall consensus is that they do not want to drive the developer away and have to start the process over.