As it prepares to leave its distinguished candy factory in Galewood, Mars Wrigley has named a developer to decide what to do with the 20-acre property.
Chicago-based McCaffery Interests will connect with community groups and City Hall as it drafts a plan that includes a new use for the principal building at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. The Spanish Revival design from 1929 looks more like a country club than a factory. The City Council is expected to declare it a landmark.
CEO Dan McCaffery said his team will soon start extensive meetings with the alderperson and community groups. McCaffery said he has an agreement to purchase the property from Mars Inc., parent of Mars Wrigley, but has no pre-conceived development plan.
“We’re going to talk to a lot of people before we put pencil to paper on this,” he said. McCaffery called the process a “dating spree,” a series of meeting dates with groups that provide input.
He said the conferences could start within a few weeks, and he hopes to have plans ready for city approval sometime next year. “We intend to be part of the community and not a renegade,” he said, emphasizing Mars’ ongoing involvement in the talks.
McCaffery is well-acquainted with the rituals of city planning. His firm spearheaded work on the former Children’s Memorial Hospital property in congested Lincoln Park, creating residential and commercial buildings with an acre of open space. He said the project involved 63 community meetings, and he’s ready for a similar challenge.
He wouldn’t disclose details of his agreement with Mars but said any purchase price he pays will be insignificant compared with the broader investment. “We bid on the right to learn how to put this together,” he said.
The alderperson for the Galewood site, Chris Taliaferro (29th), said he’s been pleased with Mars’ community relations since its 2022 announcement that it would close the factory, ending employment for about 280 people. The factory has turned out Snickers, Milky Way and Three Musketeers bars, among other treats.
At Halloween, the Mars factory was always a must visit for neighborhood kids, but this year’s holiday could be its last sugary soiree. The company expects to end production around year-end.
A Mars Wrigley spokeswoman praised McCaffery Interests as “an award-winning Chicago-based development firm” and said the project “will be conditional on the city’s rezoning process and continued engagement with the local community. Mars remains committed to the city of Chicago and working collaboratively with all our stakeholders to redevelop the site for the benefit of the community.”
The company continues to operate a $42 million research hub on Goose Island.
Mars previously said it would “donate” its site to the community, so a sale to McCaffery sounds like a different strategy. The spokeswoman did not answer follow-up questions.
Taliaferro said he’s not troubled by the change. “They are selling, but it holds true to their commitment that the residents get complete benefit from it,” he said.
The factory site, with a Metra stop next to it, is big enough to accommodate several uses. Community groups, including Galewood Neighbors, have said it could be divided among residential and small-scale retail and industrial space, with generous open space.
Steve Green, chairperson of Galewood Neighbors, said he believes Mars still intends to work closely with local groups despite the involvement of a developer.
“We got to know the Mars people very well,” he said. “I have no reason to not trust Mars.”
At the same time, Green acknowledged that whatever replaces the factory will require trade-offs with Mars, McCaffery and the city. “Not everything we want will come to fruition,” he said.
The site is zoned exclusively for manufacturing. Changing that often raises issues about preserving factory jobs, generally well-paid occupations that don’t require a college degree.