Pritzker, Illinois EPA Shuts Down Brighton Park Migrant Shelter Plan

CHICAGO — A proposed migrant shelter that would have housed 2,000 asylum-seekers over the winter will not go forward in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood after state officials shut the project down stemming from environmental concerns over toxic materials and other chemicals found at the site.

Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the decision on Tuesday, a day after he halted construction at the site, which is located at 38th and California, and that was to be one of two state-funded shelters that were established to house migrants during the winter months.

Brighton Park-area residents and Ald. Julia Ramirez had previously voiced concerns about the project moving forward at the site. Ramirez said that she did not feel that enough had been done to address concerns over the toxic materials that were said to have been present.

She also claimed that the city, and specifically Mayor Brandon Johnson, had not been transparent about the concerns and had shown a lack of communication. Ramirez reported that she was physically assaulted while visiting protests at the site involving local residents who did not want the site in their neighborhood.

Johnson told reporters on Tuesday that the state's decision to back away from the Brighton Park project does not sway the mayor from his mission of moving migrants out of police stations around the city before winter arrives. He said that the city has been doing just that and while Tuesday's announcement shifts the location of another tent city location away from Brighton Park, it's not the first time city officials have considered alternative sites, Johnson said.

Johnson said that what was once 4,000 migrants who were being housed at city police district headquarters and the airport is down to about 500, according to the latest numbers.

"I've been planning for Plan B, C, and D, and E and F, from the very moment that I became the mayor of the city of Chicago," Johnson told reporters, according to NBC Chicago. "And so whether it's 115th and Austin, or 38th and California, or any other brick and mortar location that we've identified, that can serve the purpose of this mission, know that my administration is planning ahead."

In Tuesday’s announcement, Pritzker said that the state will not move forward with the site despite originally pledging $65 million for the project. Instead, the state will immediately begin a search for a second site that will be part of the City of Chicago’s existing shelter system, Pritzker said.

Pritzker, citing environmental concerns that arose after the city released an 800-page report on Friday, detailing concerns about levels of mercury and other hazardous materials that were previously found on the property. The governor said that the state will expedite plans to move ahead with a 200-bed shelter for migrants in Little Village.

The state previously announced plans to devote an additional $160 million to addressing the housing of migrants who came to Chicago seeking asylum.

“My administration is committed to keeping asylum seekers safe as we work to help them achieve independence,” Pritzker said in a news release. "We will not proceed with housing families on a site where serious environmental concerns are still present. My administration remains committed to a data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response and we will continue to coordinate with the City of Chicago as we work to expand available shelter through winter."

State environmental officials said Tuesday that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency conducted a thorough review of the Environmental Investigation and Corrective Action Summary prepared for the City of Chicago and identified several concerns with the sampling and remediation work performed at the Brighton Park site.

The study showed that the limited nature and insufficient number of soil borings conducted at the site does not provide a comprehensive assessment of environmental conditions across the site.

It also determined that additional soil sampling is needed to further determine if there is additional contamination at the site and to fully investigate potential sources of contamination that were identified from historical site use.

In addition, state officials said that the remediations implemented so far do not satisfy IEPA standards and are insufficient. Officials said that at a minimum, an expanded engineered barrier between contaminated soil and human exposure would need to be installed to address exposure concerns.

Further investigation might also identify additional contamination that would require additional remediation, the agency said.

"IEPA would not approve the proposed Brighton Park site for residential use, based on our regulatory standards for remediation of contaminated properties," Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim said in a statement released by the agency. "The well-being of residents and workers at the site is our highest priority, and current and planned site conditions do not adequately reduce risks of human exposure to known and potential environmental conditions."