CHICAGO (WMBD)– Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the recipients of the Megasites Investment Program funded through Rebuild Illinois Capital Funds on Thursday.
According to the governor’s office, the state will leverage $23 million in grants to generate $144 million in total investments. Nine major projects across the state will be part of the program.
A megasite is described as an underutilized or former industrial site that is repurposed for large-scale industrial investments.
“Major job creators are always looking for investment-ready sites they can get up and running in a short amount of time — and we are proud to boast some of the largest such sites in the nation,” Pritzker said. “Six months since my administration first launched the Mega Sites Investment Program, I couldn’t be happier to announce that we have selected nine projects across the state to receive a total of $23 million in grant funding — bringing business investment and economic opportunity to every corner of our state, from Chicago and Hennepin to Bloomington-Normal and Carrier Mills.”
Some grantees are located in central Illinois. This includes Bloomington Normal Airport Authority which will receive $1.25 million; Marquis in Hennepin which will receive $4.5 million, and Interchange City West in Normal which will receive $1.395 million.
“We are very excited for this opportunity to partner with DCEO to supercharge the competitive position of our site for the benefit of Illinois and our community,” said Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority Chair Alan Sender. “The funds from this grant will assist in developing the region’s only multimodal industrial site capable of supporting air cargo, rail freight, and interstate truck activity.”
The Hennepin grant will go towards rai repair/expansion at former ArcelorMittal Steel Mill. The Bloomington and the Normal projects are for water or sewer infrastructure work.
