LITTLE VILLAGE — Officials broke ground on a new $18 million, 8-acre logistics center in Little Village Wednesday.
The Rockwell Logistics Center at 2445 S. Rockwell St. is expected to add 174,000 square feet of new industrial space to the neighborhood. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Michael Scott Jr. (24th) were joined by developer Venture One to break ground on the center.
When completed, Venture One aims to lease the space to e-commerce operators and restaurant-related supply companies.
The facility will include 18 loading docks, landscaped buffers and an underground stormwater retention system.
In a statement, Emanuel said the new building “demonstrates the confidence investors have in our city’s future.” The center will generate 200 new jobs in Little Village, he said.
To bring the new logistics center to the area, the city is giving Venture One a $2.24 million tax break over 12 years.
The Little Village location was chosen because it is close “to the labor and amenities the city center has to offer,” said Ryan Stoller, Venture One principal.
Stoller said the facility will attract companies that want “a state-of-the-art industrial facility, while still being minutes from downtown.”
Venture One’s decision to build along the Little Village Industrial Corridor is “evidence the neighborhood has become a new center for food distributors and other firms that serve downtown clients,” Scott said.
“We welcome them to the neighborhood and look forward to their future success,” the alderman said.