Plan Commission approves industrial redevelopment of Ford City Mall

The Chicago Plan Commission has approved a planned industrial redevelopment of the Ford City Mall at 7601 S. Cicero. Planned by Chicago-based developer Kurv Industrial, the redevelopment would replace Ford City Mall, which was recently closed due to public health and safety concerns. The mall’s 62.4-acre site is generally bounded by S. Cicero Ave to the west, W. 74th Pl to the north, S. Kostner Ave to the east, and W. 76th St to the south. 

Designed by Nelson, the project would replace the mall with four new speculative industrial buildings that would total approximately 1.1 million square feet of space. The buildings would be served by 904 passenger vehicle parking spaces, 216 loading docks, and 160 truck parking spaces. 

The buildings have been comprehensively master planned in a campus layout to accommodate related traffic on the site internally to minimize its impact on the neighborhood. Vehicular access to parking would be from the south via W. 76th St, while truck traffic would enter the site via a dedicated access point on S. Kostner Ave. 

Designed with a modern industrial aesthetic, the building facades include changes in materiality to break up the scale of the building and create visual interest. Emphasis was placed on primary entrances and office areas by including prominent architectural features that provide a more pedestrian scale appearance. The buildings’ materiality utilizes a combination of brick, glass, and metal accents at these prominent locations, with a precast concrete exterior around the rest of the structures.

As part of the project, the developer will create a dedicated CTA bus terminal at the northeast corner of the site, providing a safe, organized facility for operators and passengers. Buses will enter and exit via an internal roadway and have four dedicated boarding lanes with boarding islands that are ADA accessible. An operator building would provide secure, private restrooms and support space for CTA operators.

To allow for the scope of the project, the developer is seeking to rezone the site from B3-2 to M2-2 with a Planned Development designation. With Chicago Plan Commission approval secured, the developer can seek final approvals from the Committee on Zoning and City Council. If approved, construction on the $200 million development would begin in Q4 2026 with completion set for Q4 2028.