Ozinga underground project would invigorate the Southeast Side

I was born and raised on the Southeast Side, a tight-knit corner of the city between Lake Michigan, the Indiana border and the Calumet River. After leaving for college, I made my way back to this community and the people I love. Today, I am the Principal at St. Francis De Sales High School on 102nd Street and Ewing Ave.

Most of the kids I grew up with did not come back. The lack of economic opportunity was a big part it. We were a steel industry town decades ago. When industry left, nothing took its place. Today, we need economic investment. We need to compete with other communities in attracting capital, businesses and people.

We now have an opportunity to do just that with Invert Chicago. The Invert is a proposed 6 million square foot subsurface office park that will revitalize an old steel-era brownfield that has sat dormant for decades. The Invert will bring thousands of jobs and economic vitality, and cutting-edge companies to our community. It will take a 144-acre parcel of land, long ago abandoned by a 20th century dirty industry, and restore it to a productive and beautiful 21st century epicenter of innovation.

The problem is that there are some environmentalists in our community who oppose every development proposal, no matter the facts. They scare the public with baseless claims about the environmental impact of the Ozinga family’s underground development plan…

…Besides the enormous economic potential, the Invert will be a model of modern sustainability and environmental design.

At St. Francis, we teach our students to be critical thinkers, to ask probing questions, weigh evidence and judge ideas on their merit. That’s exactly what the Southeast Side needs to do as it examines whether the Invert should proceed or not proceed. We need to look at the facts. Otherwise, I worry that the Southeast Side will let a golden opportunity pass us.

(Excerpted from Sun-Times Letter, Jun. 25, 2024)