West Lawn residents heard news Thursday that the Chicago Plan Commission voted to approve the demolition of the shuttered Ford City Mall and its replacement with a speculative warehouse campus. The decision came after a two‑hour public hearing in which several aldermen abstained, Alderman Byron Sigcho‑Lopez (25th) voted against the project, and Alderman Derrick Curtis (18th) championed the plan as a chance to revitalize a derelict site.
Project details
The development, led by Midwest RE Acquisitions LLC – an affiliate of Kurv Industrial – calls for four 45‑foot‑tall industrial buildings covering more than one million square feet on the 62.4‑acre parcel at 7601 S. Cicero Ave. The campus will include 904 car parking spaces, 160 truck bays and 216 loading docks. Construction is slated to begin later this year, with completion expected near the end of 2028.
Kurv Industrial says the $200 million project will create about 185 permanent jobs and 90 construction jobs. The company will build the facility on a speculative basis, meaning tenants will be secured only as the buildings near completion. This will be Kurv Industrial’s first speculative industrial campus in Chicago.
Community response
Neighbors and community groups have organized petitions opposing the project, citing fears of increased truck traffic, air pollution and safety concerns. One petition has gathered nearly 1,200 signatures, while another opposing demolition has over 300. The Southside Flourish Movement asked the city to defer a vote for 108 days to allow independent reviews of traffic, air quality, noise and infrastructure impacts.
Critics argue the site could instead serve affordable housing or a mixed‑use development that would benefit the surrounding Black and Brown neighborhoods. “These companies are set to make endless profit on the backs of our community, pushing more truck traffic and air pollution to our neighborhoods,” said Adolfo Castrejon, president of the West Lawn Conservation Club.
Official support and enhancements
Alderman Curtis highlighted the project’s promised public‑safety and infrastructure upgrades, including a new CTA bus terminal, planting of more than 913 trees, extensive landscaping, storm‑water management, and reconstruction of 76th Street as a public right‑of‑way. The plan also features a Ford City Heritage Plaza to honor the site’s 80‑year history, which began as a World War II aircraft plant, later a Ford automobile factory, and then a shopping mall in 1965.
Letters of support arrived from the Chicago Transit Authority, Midway’s Holiday Inn, Bird Friendly Chicago and Chicago Unidos in Construction, praising the developers’ attention to bird‑safety and community impact.
Next steps
The proposal now moves to the City Council’s zoning committee. If the committee approves, the full Council will vote on the project later this year. Alderman Sigcho‑Lopez, who voted against the plan, warned that warehouses rank low on the economic‑development ladder and expressed concerns about the proximity of industrial use to residential neighborhoods.
City officials have not yet released a final environmental impact report, and community groups say they will continue to monitor the process closely. The outcome will shape the future of a long‑underutilized parcel on Chicago’s Southwest Side, balancing job creation with neighborhood quality of life.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
