The first phase of a $7 billion, 15-year plan to redevelop 55 acres around United Center sports hall in Chicago with housing, shops, leisure spaces and a public square was formally opened on June 3 with an opening ceremony.
Known as the Project 1901the expansive mixed-use development on the city’s West Side includes: McHugh Construction as the first-phase general contractor; Cullen Construction Management, construction manager; RIOS as a master planner, urban designer, experience designer and music hall architect; Magnusson Klemencic Associates as structural engineer; Thornton Tomasetti as facade and waterproofing engineer; HBK as a civil engineer; Field operations as a landscape designer; and Sam Schwartz as a transportation engineer.
The $500 million first phase is slated to include a 6,000-seat music venue, a 180-key hotel, retail space, two parking lots, improved pedestrian walkways, bike lanes and roads. “This is an investment that will create jobs and housing, attract new businesses, generate economic activity and help ensure the benefits of growth reach the residents and families who call the West Side home,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the opening.
“The biggest challenge is the close coordination needed to ensure access and safety for guests and staff at the nation’s second-busiest arena throughout the construction process,” said Andrew Totten, executive vice president of McHugh Construction.
The project, named to reflect the address of the United Center basketball and hockey rink, is spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, owners of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.
Other long-term plans for the project include 9,463 new homes, with 20% set aside for affordable housing, as well as commercial space for offices, green spaces and underground parking.
Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, said the Chicago Transit Authority’s Damen Greenline will serve the development and that a plan to add a nearby Pink Line station “is gradually moving closer to reality along Paulina. [Avenue].”
With construction underway, the city gave the green light in May to a $55 million tax abatement for the project. The first phase of the project is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs and 32,000 construction jobs in total, as well as 7,000 permanent jobs, according to a statement from the United Center Joint Venture.
At the start, Walter “Red” Burnett, who represents Ward 27 where the project is located, recognized Jerry Lewis, a contractor killed March 24 near the United Center who had championed Project 1901 and the minority-owned businesses that wanted to be a part of it.
“Jerry believed deeply in the power of community,” Burnett said. “He believed that development should create opportunities for those who already live here. His vision and values are embedded in this project, and his legacy will live on in what we create here together.”
Nassie Mason, 28, and Erving Harris, 31, have been charged with the alleged murder. Chicago police have not yet released a motive.
The project has participation goals of 30 percent for minority-owned businesses and 8 percent for women-owned businesses with an emphasis on local hiring for construction, according to the 1901 project website. The redevelopment is expected to take place in several phases and be completed by 2040.
