Logan Square's Mega Mall Will Be Demolished Mid-June
By Mae Rice in News on Apr 21, 2016 10:25PM
Development firm Terraco plans to demolish Logan Square's vacant Mega Mall building in mid-June, a spokesperson for Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) told Chicagoist after a Thursday afternoon meeting with Terraco represenatives. No demolition date has been set yet, but Paul Sajovec of Waguespack's office said that Terraco has promised to give the city three weeks' notice before proceeding.
When Terraco does demolish the structure, located at 2500 N. Milwaukee Ave., they'll do it "in a way where the walls will fall inward, towards the property," Sajovec said, to "minimize disruption" to the street.
Still, Waguespack's office wants time to prepare for the demolition. Chicago has a rat problem bordering on a rat crisis, and the vibrations caused by a building demolition and ensuing cleanup can lead to "an increase in visible rodent activity," Sajovec said. The alderman's office wants three weeks' lead time to arrange baiting throughout the Mega Mall area.
The Mega Mall is being demolished to make way for Terraco's Logan's Crossing, a two-building, 130,680-square-foot development. (When plans for the development were first introduced in 2014, it was just one building, but feedback from the community led the developers to split the project in two, Sajovec said.)
The southeast building, closer to Sacramento Ave., will have a grocery store and a fitness center, according to Sajovec. The building closer to Logan Square will have retail shops on the first floor, and apartments above that—220 of them, all told, including 22 affordable units.
As far as the retail space goes, Terraco has "specific tenants in mind," Sajovec said, but they're still negotiating leases.
We've reached out to Terraco for comment, and will update this post if we hear from them.