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The first phase of a 15-year, $7 billion plan to redevelop 55 acres around Chicago’s United Center sports arena with housing, retail, entertainment spaces and a public plaza was formally launched June 3 with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Known as the 1901 Project, the expansive mixed-use development on the city’s west side includes the following team members: McHugh Construction as general contractor for the first phase, Cullen Construction Management as construction manager, RIOS as 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 civil engineer, Forza as code consultant, Field Operations as landscape designer, Sam Schwartz as transportation engineer, Desman as parking consultant, and RWDI to handle environmental analysis.
The $500 million first phase is slated to include a new 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 unveiling.
The project, named to reflect the address of the United Center, a basketball and hockey arena, is spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, owners of the Chicago Bulls major league basketball team and the Chicago Blackhawks major league hockey team. The Wirtz family also controls Breakthru Beverage Group, the largest beer, wine and liquor distributor in Illinois.
Other longer-term plans for the project include 9,463 new homes, with 20% set aside for affordable housing, as well as commercial offices, green spaces, underground parking and garages.
Ciere Boatright, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, said the Chicago Transit Authority 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).”
The city in May green-lighted a $55 million tax abatement for the project where work is underway on the site and “[we] are free and clear to move forward now,” said United Center spokeswoman Colleen Quinn. The first phase of the project is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs and 32,000 total construction jobs, 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 the 27th Ward where the project is located, acknowledged Jerry Lewis, a contractor killed March 24 near the United Center, who had championed the 1901 project, 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 a participation target of 30% for minority companies and 8% for women’s companies with an emphasis on local procurement for construction, according to the Project 1901 website. The redevelopment It is expected to be built in several phases and be complete by 2040.
