The South Side took another step toward becoming a national system gateway Thursday when the , Chicago Plan Commission  , approved the development of a quantum machine study area on the long-vacant , U. S.  , Steel South Works page.
Difficulty residents of the community gave passionate evidence for hours before the vote. Some people claimed that the job offers an opportunity to attract billions of dollars and new businesses to a location that has endured decades of loneliness and disinvestment. Others said the substantial growth, initially announced by Gov. Climate activists and community activists have a chance to reach an agreement with the developers regarding animals protection, job creation, and cheap housing because JB Pritzker is moving at a snail’s pace and needs to slow down.
” Nobody in the group was told that this was coming until we heard about it from the governor”, said , Vanessa Schwartz, executive director of Metropolitan Family Services Southeast Chicago Center, which does labor growth in the area. ” We’re constantly looking for good purchase into this area, but there are just a lot of possibilities. To ensure that our youth have opportunities to pursue career paths, we want to work with ( the quantum park ).
Developers Associated Midwest and CRG plan to build the Illinois Quantum &,  , Microelectronics Park , 10 km north of downtown on a part of South Works along the lakeshore between , 79th Street , and the , Calumet River. Pritzker touts the park as vital to Illinois ‘ financial future, and committed$ 500 million to fund quantum computing research and the new school, which in July landed , California-based tech firm PsiQuantum as its outlet client.
” I want this to appear like what , U. S , Steel was, a huge website for employment”, said Associated Midwest President , Curt Bailey.
The plan also needs a clean illumination from the full , City Council. By the first quarter of 2025, the developers want to complete the project by December, obtain that last approval, and then work toward completing the minute building in the springtime.
In the next six to eight months, according to Bailey, the development team would have completed$ 600 million in construction.
” It is not easy to get money to this city”, he added. ” This job will be able to get capital”.
Not all embraces the plan’s fast rate. Advocates like , Friends of the Parks  , say committee people agreed to rezone the whole 440 acre at , 8080 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive , for growth, but the proposed classical area may only hold 128 acres. They worry the remaining open space, now home to a diverse array of wildlife, including migratory birds, could be lost without much public discussion or community involvement.
Researchers claim that quantum computing will be able to solve problems more quickly than conventional computers due to its use of quantum mechanics ‘ subatomic forces, which could result in scientific advancements in fields like medicine, energy, agriculture, and other fields. A , University of Illinois-led organization manages the quantum campus, which includes regional partners such as , Argonne National Laboratory , and , Fermilab, other area universities, and the federal , Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
If successful, the quantum park would end a decades-long struggle to find uses for the South Works site, once home to one of the world’s largest steel plants. It employed 20, 000 people at its height, but when , U. S.  , Steel shuttered it for good in 1992, only 700 remained. A slew of developers attempted to replace the plant, including plans for up to 13, 000 homes and a boat marina, but they were mostly destroyed.
Pritzker claimed this summer that a completed quantum hub would eventually result in thousands of jobs, many of which would n’t require advanced degrees, despite PsiQuantum’s promise to only create 150 jobs.
At a press conference held in July, the governor stated,” We intend to stimulate innovation on a history-altering scale and provide the people of this great city and state with unmatched economic opportunities.”
Members of the commission gained some of the support for those who urged more discussion. Both Ald.  , Daniel La Spata,  , 1st Ward, and Ald.  , Byron Sigcho-Lopez,  , 25th Ward, voted to abstain, saying they wanted Related Midwest to hold more community meetings and negotiate a community benefits agreement.
” I’m not a’ no’ vote on this, there’s a lot to be excited about”, La Spata said. ” I’m the sort who believes in what’s in writing”.
Lopez acknowledged that there have been three community meetings scheduled for December and that the developers have already held three. However, he claimed that this is insufficient to support a development of this magnitude.
” I do n’t see the issue with taking more time”, he said. ” My experience is, if it’s not in writing, things tend not to happen”.
Anne Holcomb, who lives two blocks away from the site, told the commission members,” I worry that such a large construction project will be unsafe because of the decades of pollution there.”
” We need to see this fleshed out before we move forward”, she said.
Other residents urged the , Plan Commission  , to approve the plan.  , Jorge Perez, the owner of Chico’s Oven, a donut shop on , 83rd Street, said he bought the building in 1996 and watched the neighborhood lose half its population as other businesses fled in the wake of South Works ‘ closure in 1992.
” That’s what caused displacement”, he said. ” I urge you to support it and build it quickly.”
The developers plan to construct four buildings along the , Calumet River , for PsiQuantum, completing the first in early 2026, and secure further approvals from the , City Council , for still-evolving plans to fill in the rest of the research park, including an industrial cryogenic plant. They promised commission members that they would add walking trails, preserve native landscapes for wildlife, maintain the existing lakefront parks, add single-family housing near the site and make sure the soil is uncontaminated.
Ciere Boatright , the commissioner of the Chicago’s planning and development department, claimed it was time to begin the developers ‘ discussions with local residents.
” There are opportunities to iron out other details”, she said. ” This is how we want development to proceed,” the statement read.
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