City of Chicago announced Harvest Foods Group will construct a food production facility in New City, creating and retaining over 250 jobs in the INVEST South/West corridor. The $60 million food production facility will be at a long-abandoned industrial site in New City and provide public improvements for nearby businesses and residents.  The Harvest Food Group project at 1924 W. 46th St. will redevelop 8.3 acres of City-owned land that has been vacant for more than 15 years. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will include 220,000 square feet of food production and storage space, as well as parking for more than 150 vehicles.  Based on community input to mitigate commercial vehicle traffic, Harvest will widen the 4500 and 4600 blocks of Damen Avenue at an estimated cost of $2 million; provide abundant landscaping and green spaces for public use along Wolcott and 46th streets; and include numerous design details that are in context with neighboring land patterns.

The block-long property is appraised at approximately $3.5 million. Under a pending redevelopment agreement with the City, the land would be sold to the developer for $1 to offset an estimated $1.5 million in environmental remediation costs and the public improvements to Damen Avenue. Terms could be finalized this summer.  Founded in 1999, Harvest Foods provides manufacturing, packing and distribution services to a variety of food industry companies across the country. The new facility will replace its current operations in Archer Heights and provide a more efficient environment to expand and add 50 new jobs.