City of Chicago announces winner of Roosevelt/Kostner RFP site

The City of Chicago has announced the winner of the Invest South/West RFP for the Roosevelt/Kostner site. Chosen out of a set of eight responses, the project site spans 21 acres addressed at 4300 W. Roosevelt Rd in North Lawndale.

Developed by 548 Development and Related Midwest, the $38.4 million project will develop a solar-powered 302,000-square-foot industrial complex. Paired with a pair of community centers, the proposal will round out with public open space. The complex’s design comes from a team including Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Ware Malcomb, and Site Design Group.

Dubbed Lawndale Innovation Center, the new facility will leverage the location’s strengths for freight and logistics with a pair of industrial structures. The two will include one building spanning 153,460 square feet with 31 dock spaces on the northern portion of the site, and a second building measuring 148,680 square feet with another 31 deck spaces on the southern side of the site. Parking areas for 86 trailers and 417 cars will be included.

Planned for the southern edge of the site, the development will include the North Lawndale Innovation Center, providing two buildings for community-based retail, workforce training, and office uses in partnership with local community organizations. An adjoining community park will be included to offer outdoor gathering space for community residents.

Currently, the site is bisected by the CSX railroad Altenheim Line, which is under study by DPD to convert it to a recreational trail. This development will provide ample room for the future implementation of the Altenheim Line development recently reviewed by the Committee on Design. Access to the trail would be provided from a passive recreation area on the northern half of the site.

The project will likely receive TIF money to pay for environmental remediation expenses and the proposed site purchase price for the property is $1. The TIF assistance and land sale will need approval from the community Development Commission and City Council, with overall approval from the Plan Commission. Construction could begin by late 2022.