Phase One environmental cleanup finished for Focal Point Community Campus

Chicago Southwest Development Corporation (CSDC) has completed Phase One of the environmental cleanup for the future home of Saint Anthony Hospital on the Focal Point Community Campus, at the corner of 31st St. and Kedzie Ave. on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

“After over a decade of challenges and obstacles, our promise that we will not only cleanup this land, but revitalize this community and begin construction, is being fulfilled,” said Guy A. Medaglia, President and CEO of CSDC. “We look forward to providing much needed green space and an economic boost to the Southwest Side.”

The first stage in the cleanup included the removal of old concrete and soil, exposing buried foundations from previous structures, sub grading areas for future paving and drainage, and installing clean soil and erosion control systems.

Nearly 44,000 tons of toxic soil have been safely removed from the land after several rounds of testing determined what contamination existed. Additionally, two abandoned underground storage tanks were discovered. These tanks were properly removed under the supervision of a health inspector.

The land remediation was performed by Tecnica Environmental Services and was funded by CSDC through capital funds and federal grants awarded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Phase Two of the cleanup will begin once CSDC secures an approved Remedial Action Plan from the IL EPA, which is anticipated to commence in spring or summer 2026.

With a design from HDR, the new campus will facilitate the future construction of multiple buildings. The main anchor will be a new 12-story building for Saint Anthony’s Hospital that will rise 240 feet. In addition, the site will deliver a medical office building, central utility plant (CUP), commercial and retail space, outdoor athletic fields, a vocational school, surgical center, daycare, and office. A total of 1,245 parking spaces are proposed for the site, with most located in a large parking structure that will have the athletic fields topping it.

A timeline for new construction on the campus has not been announced.