Morton Salt redevelopment receives approval by Chicago Planning Commission
The redevelopment of Chicago’s historic Morton Salt industrial facility and site into vibrant mixed-use district with an entertainment venue received zoning approval by the City’s Planning Commission on Thursday, Jan. 21. Omni Workshop is the landscape architect for the project, along with Lamar Johnson Collaborative as architect, and R2 Companies and Blue Star Properties as developers.
The approval of this venue-focused, adaptive reuse project — which preserves one of Chicago’s most historic landmarks — is a hopeful sign for the future of development in the City.
Read more in the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.
OMNI INFINITY MEDIA PROVIDES SOLUTION FOR MEETING DEVELOPMENT’S REQUIRED STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COMPLIANCE ORDINANCE & RIVERWALK REQUIREMENT
As part of the landscape design, a 30-foot riverwalk requirement must be met to adhere to guidelines for development along the Chicago River. Additionally, the project must comply with the City’s stormwater management ordinance. Meeting these requirements presented a challenge, as the site previously housed a tannery and a salt factory. Omni worked with Chicago’s Department of Buildings and Department of Water Management to prove the utility of Omni Infinity Media.
Working closely with the project’s civil engineer, V3 Companies, Omni determined how much soil could be placed on the site to manage a 100-year storm and determined where that soil could be best placed and graded.
Stormwater runoff from disturbed areas on the site is redirected to Omni Infinity Media before discharging to the Chicago River. This process enables both detention and volume control amounts to be captured in Omni Infinity Media as surface storage. Ultimately, the design complies with both the landscape and stormwater management ordinances for the project, while also producing cost savings and assisting with its approval by the City.
The use of Omni Infinity Media for this project marks the first time the City of Chicago has employed innovative stormwater soils, creating a groundbreaking, decentralized green infrastructure solution to alleviate combined sewer overflow.
