A Good Sign? Pullman Developer Clears Land Reserved For Amazon

PULLMAN — Is the roaring sound of a wood chipper good news for Amazon's plans to build a $60 million distribution center on the former Ryerson Steel property?

Last week, the cold war between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Anthony Beale seemed to signal that the Amazon proposal, which would require swift city council approval, might run into a City Hall road block.

Beale was "getting a little ahead of himself," Lightfoot said after hearing about the 9th Ward alderman's plans to make quick work of getting the City Council's sign off on the development, which is expected to create 500 construction jobs and 200 permanent gigs.

Beale said last week that he planned to submit Amazon's plan to directly to a city council committee this month. The mayor's stance on the project and it's future will be decided there.

When asked about the significance of the giant pile of wood chips made from an overgrown forest that rose amid the rubble of a dead steel factory, Beale didn't speak of Jeff Bezos' mega-corporation.

"We're clearing the land for future development," he said.

I mentioned the alderman's coy answer to David Doig of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. The developer verbally shrugged. "That's about as much as I can say, too," he said.

But when asked if the fallen trees were a good sign, Doig couldn't hold his pun: "You'll have to read between the trees."

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