Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced redevelopment proposals for the sites of two coal-fired power plants that were shut down last month on Chicago's Southwest Side on Saturday.
“During the campaign and after becoming Mayor, I promised to work to ensure these plants were either cleaned up or shut down,” said Emanuel during a press conference on Saturday. “After succeeding in that goal, the next step was critical – to return these areas to active, productive use for the residents of the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods."
After decades of concerns about their health and environmental impacts, Emanuel helped broker a deal in February for Midwest Generation to close the Fisk and Crawford plants in the Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods.
A task force set up by the mayor came up with about a dozen short-term recommendations for the sites, which were announced Saturday. They include demolition of the plants' buildings, construction of light industrial sites, marketing the land to developers, and suggestions for commercial and retail development.
Emanuel also announced an $8 million plan to build a park on the site of former asphalt factory in Little Village.
