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CITY HALL — A proposed $7 billion redevelopment plan for the United Center has crossed the latest approval threshold before heading to City Council for a vote.
Following a recommendation from the Department of Planning and Development, the Chicago Plan Commission voted Thursday to approve the redevelopment of the area surrounding the United Center, dubbed the 1901 Project. All members voted in favor of the project except for Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), who recused himself since the project is in his ward.
The first phase of development would include a 6,000-seat music hall, a 233-room hotel, retail space and two parking structures, according to the proposal. If approved by City Council, construction would begin this spring and would be projected to finish in 2028, according to United Center staff.
All six phases of development are projected to take 10 to 15 years to complete, with the final phase concluding in 2040, according to staff.
During Thursday’s hearing, United Center CEO Terry Savarise assured the commission and the public of his team’s dedication to the West Side neighborhoods surrounding the venue.
“The project is not an entertainment district. It doesn’t come with gates,” he said. “The 1901 Project is a neighborhood. It is one with resources, energy, vibrancy and opportunity.”
Renderings of the proposed music hall, which would sit at the southwest corner of the development at Damen and Adams streets, shows a modernist venue with a balcony, flanked by a large lawn. A rendered aerial view of one of the two planned garages depicts a public play space, including parks and basketball courts.
A traffic study conducted by developers included recommendations for protected bike lanes along parts of Damen and Adams streets and Warren Boulevard, raised intersections at Adams Street and Wolcott Avenue and curb extensions at Adams and Honore streets and Adams and Wood streets.
Project 1901 will next go before the City Council’s zoning committee for approval before being voted on by the full council. The next meeting of the zoning committee will take place at 10 a.m. February 18.
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