DOWNTOWN — City leaders are one step closer to their goal of rehabilitating the massive, vacant Old Main Post Office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday.
The city issued has a "Request for Proposals" for the 2.5 million-square-foot building, which has sat empty at 433 W. Van Buren St. since 1996.
Emanuel announced last month that the city would seize the property through the thorny and controversial process of eminent domain.
The move will "expedite the process of developing the building and creating the thousands of jobs that will go along with it," Wednesday's announcement read.
Property owners who are subject to eminent domain legally must be paid "just compensation" for the property. Officials said no city money would be used to redevelop the building, and the chosen developer would be required to pay for the acquisition.
The post office and annex buildings have been controlled since 2009 by Bill Davies, a British national who now resides in Monaco. Davies started to market 1,500 "micro" apartments inside the giant empty post office straddling Congress Parkway in January.
But Emanuel said that the "blighted" property is deteriorating as it sits vacant, adding that it has been cited for 20 building code violations since 2012, including deteriorated building conditions, issues with fire prevention, electrical, mechanical and exhaust stems, and improper security standards.
A developer is likely to be chosen by summer, officials said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
