It’s going on two years since Mars Wrigley, the home of famous confections like Snickers and M&Ms, closed its West Side factory in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood. The factory found its home in Galewood in 1929 and was given landmark status in 2024, the same year it shuttered its 20-acre Chicago plant.
After Chicago-based developer McCaffery Interests revealed plans to build a mix of rentals and single-family homes, senior housing and townhomes, community pushback ensued as some residents voiced displeasure at the possibility of adding residential units on the site.
The proposal did not include plans for the actual landmarked structure on Oak Park Avenue, which the developer said could be used as a community space.
“I’ve lived in the area my entire life, and I don’t think we should put rentals in that space,” 33-year-old LaPamela Williams said during a Jan. 14 community meeting at Mosaic Lutheran Church. “I think the community would benefit from a state-of-the-art library. It’s something that they want. It’s something that will be for our seniors, which the community has a lot of seniors, and it’ll also be great for our youth as well, and anyone.”
Williams and other neighborhoods shared frustration with the planned development not matching the aesthetic of the community at the meeting hosted by the Galewood Montclare Community Organization. Other concerns include street congestion, noise and increased traffic.
The candy giant first announced its plans to close the factory in 2022. Mars held community meetings to ensure the property was used how the community saw fit. A December 2022 report on the findings from the five community meetings conducted in 2022 showed that “the community was interested in a mix of uses on the site incorporating community gathering, environmental sustainability, economic development, housing and green space while honoring the history of the site and ensuring it has another 100 years of rich history.”
Galewood Neighbors, an organization composed of Galewood residents and businesses, was chosen as one of the community representatives to help garner residential feedback on the development of the site.
“We were involved in those discussions, right? Unfortunately, three years have gone by,” Galewood Neighborhoods Chairperson Steve Green said. “People move away, new people come in, and some people forget what was discussed three years ago. So it’s not necessarily starting over, but it kind of is.”
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th Ward), whose ward includes the former factory, held several meetings back in December concerning the development, where he said there was a mix of feelings regarding residential units at the site. Taliaferro shared similar comments to Green.
“Times have changed, and we’ve got folks that have come into the community, folks that have moved out,” Taliaferro told The TRiiBE. “We have new businesses that have come in, and we’ve had new residential developments that have happened since then. Our thing now is to present this development as new, almost, because what may have been desired three years ago, maybe even four years ago, may not be a prevailing thought now.”
A community meeting regarding the planned development that was scheduled for Jan. 27 was postponed. In the email about the postponement, Taliaferro wrote, “After discussions with community leaders and the developer, McCaffery Interests, this past weekend, we determined that it is important to present a meeting in a facilitated format that would best allow for maximum community input as we continue to discuss the redevelopment of the MARS [sic] site.”
Dan McCaffery, CEO of McCaffery Interests, acknowledged that pushback was common for any development and they were remaining open to all feedback concerning the former Mars factory.
“Not everyone agrees, but you keep working with the community, and you keep listening to them, treat them fairly, treat them respectfully,” McCaffery said. “Sooner or later, they come around to seeing some things your way, and sooner or later, we come around to seeing some things their way.”
Discussions around developing a library at the Mars site have also been front and center as frustrated community members have long demanded a neighborhood library. Calls for a new library in the Galewood community have been ongoing as the neighborhood has not had its own “full-fledged” library since 2010. The closest library is in the nearby Austin neighborhood, the North Austin branch, which is about two miles away from the Mars site.
Taliaferro said that the city has recently made an offer to purchase the property at 1725 N. Harlem Ave., where a Fifth Third Bank once sat, to place a library.
Galewood resident Stephen Robinson, who is also the executive director of the nonprofit Northwest Austin Council, said he thinks the Mars site could be a potential good fit for a library. He said he understands that the Chicago Public Library (CPL) will not lease a space, but he also thinks the Fifth Third building would be too small.
Taliaferro told Austin Weekly that the Mars site was not something CPL was interested in and that an addition would possibly be considered to the Fifth Third Bank property.
“I don’t think it’s going to be big enough. They have to do remodeling,” Robinson said about the Fifth Third Bank site. “I don’t think there’s enough parking. There’s a myriad of things that’s just not making sense about that project.”
Taliaferro added that there is a growing need for housing in the community, and with upcoming plans for a Galewood library branch, the Mars site could potentially be used for senior housing.
“There’s a growing need for senior housing in our ward and throughout the city,” Taliaferro said. “This is a great opportunity for senior housing.”
