Damen Silos
Please see our letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District here.
Public Meeting Notice
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host a public meeting on Thursday, February 1, at 7:00pm at the McKinley Park field house, located at 2210 W. Pershing Rd. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public with information on the federal permitting process for demolishing the Damen Silos, and to gather community feedback for resolving adverse effects on the loss of historic properties. This meeting will be focused on the federal Section 106 review process.
Spanish and Mandarin translation services will be provided.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the 12th Ward Facebook page.
Instructions for public comment: comments from the public may be provided in-person (via three-minute spoken comment and/or in writing at the Public Meeting, or comments may be emailed to colin.c.smalley@usace.army.mil. To receive full consideration of your comment, please submit no later than 5pm Central Time, Friday February 9, 2024.
Background information
In December of 2022, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration sold the state-owned property at 2900 S Damen Ave to MAT Limited Partnership, following a public bidding process that began in August of 2022 for $6.5 million. The Damen Silos sit on 23.4 acres of property along the Sanitary Ship Canal. The silo structures do not have any official historic landmark designations are are therefore not protected from being demolished. Prior to the 2023 ward remap, the site was located in the 25th Ward.
On August 22, 2023 the Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB) and Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) held a public meeting on a city demolition permit filed by MAT. At the meeting DOB and CDPH provided an overview of the environmental mitigation measures and public health safeguards required by law for complex demolitions. The city permit review is currently on hold until USACE completes the federal section 106 review process, contingent upon a memorandum of agreement between them and the applicant.
You can watch a recording of the 8.22.23 meeting here and see the accompanying slide deck.
Future redevelopment of the site
MAT Limited Partnership has yet to present any plans for redeveloping the property. Due to the size of the property and proximity to a waterway, any new development of the property would trigger Planned Development designation and approval from the Chicago Plan Commission and the City Council. Alderwoman Ramirez is committed to a community-driven development process for any proposal that requires her support in the City Council.
Documents
Ald Ramirez’s 8.23.23 letter to Mayor Johnson on preservation / redevelopment plan for the
Letter to Gov Pritzker from Environmental Groups
Letter to Gov Pritzker from Neighborhood Groups
Other resources
City of Chicago Cumulative Impact Assessment and Environmental Justice Action Plan