Updated Jan. 26, 2022

The Chicago Southwest Development Corporation (CSDC) is proposing to develop the mixed-use Focal Point Community Campus on approximately 30 acres of publicly owned land at the southwest corner of West 31st Street and South Kedzie Avenue in the Little Village neighborhood.

The Focal Point campus will serve as the new site for Saint Anthony Hospital, currently located at 2875 W. 19th St., as well as an outpatient medical office building, a surgical center, day care, retail, wellness, education, arts, housing, recreation, and other services designed to be a resource for those living on Chicago’s Southwest side. Prior to being cleared of buildings, the site was most recently used for Washburne Trade School.

A redevelopment agreement (RDA) for the land's purchase for $5 million was approved by City Council in January 2021. A Planned Development (PD) zoning application for the project was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission and by City Council in January 2022.

Scope

The first phase of the project is anchored by the proposed 12-story hospital building and a multi-story garage that is lined with tenant space intended for retail, medical, educational and health and fitness uses.

Athletic fields, intended to be publicly accessible, are proposed for the top of the parking garage and include soccer and baseball fields and a running track. Overall, roughly 2.3 million square feet of development are proposed for the site, along with roughly 1,200 parking spaces in structured and surface parking.

CSDC first established Planned Development (PD) 1212 at the 31st and Kedzie site in 2013 on a smaller portion of the property, but the proposed site has since increased, when CSDC acquired additional land owned by the City and a private party.

As a result, the boundary of the existing PD 1212 must be revised to include the acquired land. Additionally, CSDC is proposing to rezone the property to a C2-5 district prior to reestablishing the PD. This rezoning will allow CSDC to develop all the proposed land uses and the desired density on the site.

The site was formerly occupied by industrial uses, including a large factory building that was adapted to become the Washburne Trade School, formerly operated by Chicago Public Schools and other entities. Currently, all structures on the site have been demolished in preparation for the Focal Point project.

Community Engagement

The Focal Point proposal has been in development for the better part of the past decade, and it has been the subject of many community meetings with Little Village residents and stakeholders.

Recent public engagement meetings were hosted by the development team in coordination with the office of Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd Ward) in April 2021 and November 2021. A recording of the November 2021 meeting is available on the YouTube page of the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and embedded below.

Questions on the proposal can be directed to DPD staff at dpd@cityofchicago.org.