13-Acre Suburban Medical Campus Vacant Since 2019 Eyed For Data Center Development

The redevelopment of an abandoned hospital in south suburban Blue Island is taking a publicly contentious turn toward a new data center project after a reported shake-up in property ownership. 

Blue Island City Administrator Tom Wogan said at an April city council meeting that there has been some “noticeable changes” in the management of the vacant 12.5-acre MetroSouth Medical Center campus, located on Gregory Street, over the last several weeks. 

Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto told Bisnow in an email Saturday that the city received a general inquiry from the site's ownership about the city's development process regarding any future use, data center included. Nothing official has been submitted to the city and there is no proposal under review, he said.

“Any future development, including a data center or any other use, would have to go through a full and transparent public process, including review by the Planning and Zoning Board, the City Council, and multiple opportunities for community input,” Bilotto said in a statement...