Tinley to test interest in state-owned mental health center site with asbestos, abandoned sewage plant
The SouthtownStarDec 16, 2017
Firms will have until
From that initial batch, the village will narrow the list of firms then have them prepare more detailed proposals, according to the release.
The center closed in 2012, while the adjacent Howe Developmental Center closed in 2009.
A village consultant,
"Hopefully, we get some creative, out-of-the-box proposals" for the site,
The effort by the consultant and the village's establishment in 2015 of a tax increment financing district that encompasses the health center property are intended to help the village create a master development plan for the site.
Farr is expected to present that plan to the
The village said it wants to gauge potential interest by developers ahead of the state completing a re-appraisal of the land and again offering the village the opportunity to buy it.
"The Village hasn't made a decision on whether it will buy the property when the State offers it, but getting information on the types of ideas and land uses the development community is willing to build is one factor that will help us in making an informed decision on the potential acquisition," Mayor
Testing completed in 2014 revealed the property is rife with asbestos, and there is an abandoned sewage treatment plant, leaking underground storage tanks holding gasoline and other petroleum products, drums containing chemicals, and soil contaminated with mercury and lead.
An estimate for the village put the cost of cleaning the site and demolishing the many buildings on the property to get it ready for development at
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