SALE MIDWAY FLIGHT FACILITY

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB5781

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HB5781 - 104th General Assembly

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5781

Introduced , by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

Authorizes the Department of Military Affairs, on behalf of the State
of Illinois, to sell, convey, lease, or otherwise dispose of all right,
title, and interest in and to the real property commonly known as The
Midway Flight Facility, Chicago Illinois. Provides that all proceeds from
the sale or disposition of the property must be deposited into the General
Revenue Fund and, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, must
be designated for the rehabilitation, redevelopment, or reuse planning of
the former Illinois National Guard Armory located at 5500 S. Cottage Grove
Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, in the Washington Park community area.
Effective immediately.
LRB104 20046 JRC 33497 b

A BILL FOR

HB5781
LRB104 20046 JRC 33497 b
1

AN ACT concerning State property.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 1.
Legislative intent and purposes.
5

1. In 2024, Public Act 103-791 authorized the transfer
6

of the former Illinois National Guard Midway Armory
7

property, located at 5400 W. 63rd Street in Chicago, to
8

the City of Chicago for $1 for use as a Chicago Police
9

Department district facility.
10

2. Following passage of that law, the City of Chicago
11

publicly declined to pursue the use of the property for a
12

police station, citing its location within a federally
13

regulated Runway Protection Zone (RPZ) for Midway
14

International Airport's Runway 4R/22L. As reported by the
15

Chicago Sun-Times on September 24, 2024, the City
16

determined that FAA safety regulations prohibit such a
17

public-serving use and that the site is unsuitable for a
18

new district headquarters. This position was further
19

reinforced in an October 7, 2024 article written by City
20

of Chicago Chief Operating Officer John Roberson,
21

published in the Chicago Sun-Times under the title "Why
22

vacant armory near Midway is a no-go as a police station".
23

In the article, Roberson stated that the site poses
24

"significant regulatory, safety and operational

HB5781
- 2 -
LRB104 20046 JRC 33497 b
1

challenges" and that any future use must be compatible
2

with airport operations and current Federal Aviation
3

Authority regulations.
4

3. The site, which has been vacant since 2017, remains
5

in State ownership. Given the site's regulatory
6

limitations and lack of local use compatibility, it is in
7

the public interest to authorize open-market disposition.
8

4. Separately, the State of Illinois owns the historic
9

former armory located at 5500 S. Cottage Grove Avenue in
10

the Washington Park community area. This site has
11

significant community, cultural, and historic
12

redevelopment potential but requires substantial capital
13

investment for stabilization and adaptive reuse.
14

5. Reinvesting the proceeds from the Midway Armory
15

sale into the 55th Street Armory aligns with the State's
16

goals of equitable reuse of surplus military properties
17

and preserving historically significant community anchors
18

on the South Side of Chicago.

19

Section 5.
Authority to sell.
The Department of Military
20
Affairs is hereby authorized to sell, convey, lease, or
21
otherwise dispose of all right, title, and interest in and to
22
the real property commonly known as:

23

The Midway Flight Facility 5400 W. 63rd Street Chicago,
24

Illinois 60638

HB5781
- 3 -
LRB104 20046 JRC 33497 b
1

Disposition may be by public sale, sealed bid, negotiated
2
sale, or other method as permitted by applicable law and at
3
such terms and conditions as the Adjutant General deems in the
4
best interest of the State. No further authorization from the
5
General Assembly shall be required to effectuate the
6
transaction described in this Act.

7

Section 10.
Conditions.
The disposal of real property
8
authorized in Section 5 is made subject to:
9

1. all existing easements, encumbrances, covenants,
10

restrictions, and matters of record;
11

2. all applicable local, state, and federal laws and
12

regulations, including, but not limited to, Federal
13

Aviation Authority restrictions related to the Runway
14

Protection Zone; and
15

3. the purchaser's assumption of all liabilities and
16

responsibilities related to redevelopment, environmental
17

compliance, and regulatory approvals.

18

Section 15.
Use of proceeds.
All proceeds from the sale or
19
disposition of the property identified in Section 5 must be
20
deposited into the General Revenue Fund and, subject to
21
appropriation by the General Assembly, must be designated for
22
the rehabilitation, redevelopment, or reuse planning of the
23
former Illinois National Guard Armory located at 5500 S.

HB5781
- 4 -
LRB104 20046 JRC 33497 b
1
Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, in the Washington
2
Park community area.
3

The Department of Military Affairs, in coordination with
4
the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
5
and other relevant agencies, must prioritize these funds for
6
stabilization, feasibility assessments, community engagement,
7
and redevelopment incentives for the 55th Street site.

8

Section 99.
Effective date.
This Act takes effect upon
9
becoming law.

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