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Mayor says city is marketing properties; Wintrust Bank design progresses
Summary
The mayor reported outreach to investors about city-owned and other downtown properties, and provided an update on Wintrust Bank’s proposed design and pending approvals.
Blue Island’s mayor told the council the city has been actively marketing several properties and has had exploratory conversations with investors and developers, including a group that previously worked with a hospital project.
During the meeting the mayor said he and members of his administration attended a Zoom meeting with the former mayor of Aurora and several investors who had seen the city’s presentation at the Illinois Municipal League. The mayor listed properties discussed and said the group expressed interest in the hospital site, the old Sandy Hotel and the former Sander School.
“We just put stuff out there. Nothing. Let's see if they bring anything back to us,” the mayor said, adding the investors were “poking around” to see whether the hospital site had any updates.
On a separate development item, staff updated the council on Wintrust Bank’s proposed design, saying the bank’s architects submitted an early draft of drawings that borrow design elements from Blue Island’s city hall—red brick with beige stone—and that the bank intends to break ground once it receives a final letter from the referenced agency. The mayor said the bank’s design is larger than expected but visually consistent with local architecture.
The council did not vote on any redevelopment agreements during the public session. The mayor said city staff and the bank’s team are awaiting a final administrative letter from the agency identified as “IEP” in the discussion before the project proceeds to permit and construction phases.
