Chicago’s New City set to get $60M food production facility

Chicago’s New City will soon be getting a $60 million food production facility.

Harvest Food Group will build a new 220,000-square-foot building on an 8.3-acre “long-abandoned industrial site” at 1924 West 46th Street, Block Club Chicago reported.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the proposed facility will focus on food production and storage in a news release on Tuesday. The project will also include public green space and landscaping.

Harvest will widen the 4500 and 4600 blocks of Damen Avenue and build the green space along Wolcott and 46th streets.

The city owns the land, which was most recently used for container storage. It has sat vacant for the past 15 years due to environmental and access issues, the city says.

“After years of neglect behind a chain link fence, this site is finally getting the rejuvenation it deserves,” Lightfoot said in the release.

The developer will pay $1 million for the land, even though it’s worth about $3.5 million. The property was offered at the discounted price in an effort to offset the costs of creating public improvements and remediating the site.

“The addition of Harvest Foods to the Back of the Yards Community will have a tremendously positive impact on many levels,” Craig Chico, president of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, said in the release. “The architecture of this development has taken into consideration the future neighbors of Harvest. It will [replace] an unsafe, blighted eyesore with a beautiful facility.”

The terms of the deal are set to be finalized this summer.

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