On July 20th, Alderwoman Hadden, the 49th Ward Office, Loyola University Chicago, and the Ignatian Mission Center hosted a community meeting regarding a proposed new development for the St. Ignatius Campus at 6555-6559 N Glenwood and the former Waldorf School at 1300-1320 W Loyola Ave. You can watch a recording of the community meeting here.

The Ignatian Mission Center is proposing to preserve the church and rectory on 6559-6565 N. Glenwood by creating a social service center on the St. Ignatius campus that would house a women's shelter for survivors of domestic violence, a childcare center, a food pantry, and provide space for a lay association for religious gatherings and devotions. Since its closure, the IMC has run a weekly food pantry out of 1735 W. Greenleaf Avenue to help our neighbors fighting hunger. The proposal would shift these services to the church basement alongside a social services center that would offer health screenings, counseling, and community events. The plans for the Ignatian Mission Center on Glenwood do not trigger a zoning change, but would require a special use permit to operate out of the space. 

Loyola University is proposing to demolish the former Waldorf campus buildings at 1300-1320 W. Loyola to build student apartments. Their proposal includes 65 student apartments reserved for upper-class and graduate students to free up privately owned community housing. They have also committed to providing $625,000 over a period of 10-years to the Ignatian Mission Center to support its programs and services. Finally, they have committed to donating 1,500 square feet of rent-free community space to IMC and its partners. Loyola explored retrofitting the Waldorf School campus to avoid demolition, but the repairs required to bring the building into compliance with the City's building code made the effort financially infeasible. Loyola's plans would trigger a zoning change from the current RS-3 designation to RM-5.5.

To view the presentation slides, please click here.

Alderwoman Hadden is accepting feedback on this proposal. This survey will be open for a minimum of two weeks. You can access the survey here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at office@49thward.org or (773) 338-5796.