Tinley Park Village Attorney Michael Del Galdo penned a letter to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) to point out acquiring the 280-acre Tinley Park Mental Health Center site from the state would be a boon for the community, including the south suburbs and the state.  

According to a Fox 32 report last year, the facility was closed a decade ago, the last of 12 state-owned facilities of its kind, and has since sat abandoned and falling into disrepair. The report also noted an environmental study four years ago identified a number of environmental issues, including buildings containing asbestos and black mold. The site is located in the center of the village, according to the report. 

“At 280 acres, this site is one of the single largest development opportunities left in the entire Chicago metro area,” Del Galdo said in the letter to the state. “If re-developed properly, this site can be a game changer, not just for Tinley Park, but for the south suburbs and the state as a whole.” 

The village has been pursuing the property since the 1990s, before the health facility closed, and has tried unsuccessfully to acquire it ever since, according to a timeline on the village’s website. In 2014, the village kicked off talks with the state for a proposed $4.165 million sale, but obstacles over the years have prevented a sale from coming to fruition, according to the timeline. 

"The village is dedicated to turning the site into a mixed use, entertainment district that will serve as a much needed economic engine, providing critical revenues for the growth of our Village," Del Galdo wrote in the letter. "It would complement our brand, Life Amplified, the nearby Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, the Convention Center/hotels across the street and our historic downtown core." 

In January of 2022, according to the timeline on the village website, months of talks ended in a deal for the village to purchase the property for $4.5 million, pending approval by state lawmakers, with a bill to be introduced by State Sen. Michael Hastings (R-Frankfort). 

However, according to the village’s timeline, Hastings failed to introduce the legislation to the Illinois General Assembly, essentially sinking the sale and shredding months of talks to reach the agreement between the state and village. 

Late last year, according to the village’s timeline on its website, another taxing entity expressed interest in the property and in January, Mayor Michael Glotz posted a message online detailing why the village was in the best position to buy and re-develop the property. 

Del Galdo penned his letter last week, including a rendering of the village’s vision for the property, according to the village’s website.