City Puts The Loop's Pritzker Park Up For Sale
By Danette Chavez in News on May 6, 2015 6:55PM
Chicago's looking to exchange a little green for a lot of green: The city announced on Tuesday that the land at 320 S. State St., which includes Pritzker Park, the Loop's only public park, is up for sale. Department of Planning and Development is seeking proposals from now until June 12 for the site, which was recently appraised at $14 million.
The city is seeking mixed-use development proposals in order "to bring a high-quality commercial building to the site," said Andrew J. Mooney, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development. He noted the park's plum positioning near public transit, local colleges and the Harold Washington Library. The commissioner also said that the city wants to "encourage developers to submit proposals that will complement the ongoing revitalization of the Loop." The request is part of a larger initiative to sell "surplus and underutilized" city-owned land, like the pending sale of a former Chicago Police Department lot at 1136 S. Wabash Ave.
But Friends of the Park is not so keen on the idea. In a news release issued last month, the organization took exception with the Pritzker plan, stating that it "threatens to erode the only open respite in an otherwise dense downtown area that is built lot-line-to-lot-line, curb-to-alley." It also reiterated its opposition to the use of park or lakefront land for the future sites of the Obama presidential library and the Lucas Museum for Narrative Art.
No matter what goes up at the site, the Chicago Park District, which has overseen the management of Pritzker Park since 2008, will have use of approximately 65,000 square feet on two or more floors for future office space, as well as 80 parking spaces.
The land, which the city's press release describes as "mostly vacant," includes the park, a city parking structure, and an alley. The L-shaped park, which is a little less than an acre, currently offers public seating, a plaza, and concession stands. The Chicago Loop Alliance has held dozens of events at the park in the last year, from yoga classes to dance performances. The park was also recently home to Tony Tasset's Eye sculpture.