Phase III of Aeroterm’s development will create jobs and increase O’Hare’s cargo capacity, which is bursting at the seams.
CHICAGO – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) today lauded City Council approval of a lease agreement between the City of Chicago and Aeroterm giving the green light to expand the Northeast Cargo Facility at O’Hare International Airport. Cargo operations have been a bright spot amid the COVID-19 pandemic and global aviation slowdown, and this addition will create approximately 450 new jobs on top of the 2,800 created since the project began in 2013.
“Chicago has always been a transportation powerhouse and that reputation grew tenfold in 2020, as our airports played a central role in the worldwide movement of crucial goods such as PPE and vaccines,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “As we continue to make strategic investments in our infrastructure throughout 2021, it is critical that opportunities flow to every neighborhood of our City, and I applaud Aeroterm’s efforts to attract Chicagoans and build out a diverse and talented team.”
The City Council approved the lease and bond inducement, allowing Aeroterm to use approximately 448,000 square feet of space on O’Hare’s airfield for Phase III of the Northeast Air Cargo Modernization Project. Aeroterm will invest an estimated $56 million into the project, and the City will issue Special Facility Bonds in the future to reimburse the costs of acquisition, construction, and equipping of a warehouse building with office space and a related roadway.
“O’Hare has seen tremendous cargo growth over the past decade, and frankly, we can’t add capacity quickly enough,” CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee said. “With strong commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion in airport projects, Aeroterm’s investment in Chicago’s communities and our local economy will help O’Hare continue to grow as a leader in North American and global air freight.”
The construction team will be led by BOWA Construction and includes d’Escoto and Clayco. Phase III will be the first major cargo facility of this size at O’Hare built by an African American-led construction team, and approximately 60% of the primary construction contract will be with BOWA and d’Escoto as MBE firms. Groundbreaking is planned for February 2021, with the goal of completing work in early 2022.
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