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The latest Union Station redevelopment plan includes a food hall and rooftop plaza

Zach Long
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Zach Long
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Union Station has been in need of a makeover for quite some time, and it looks like Amtrak and City Hall have found a developer to tackle the massive project. According to DNAinfo, Chicago-based development firm Riverside Investment & Development has been tapped to lead the $1 billion redevelopment of the train station, which will include the construction of five new buildings.

Once final plans are approved, construction will roll out in three phases and take an estimated six years to complete. While renovations will improve the infrastructure of the existing Union Station building (originally designed by famed urban designer Daniel Burnham), developers will also construct two residential towers above the station, two office buildings to the south of the station and an additional residential high-rise that will be built atop the railroad.

Among the most interesting additions planned for Union Station are a food hall (which will take up residence in the existing building, along Clinton Street), a series of public plazas and two new rooftop areas. While more than 120,000 commuters pass through the station each day, it's not really a destination for anything other than catching an Amtrak or a Metra train. A new food hall and public spaces could help bring additional visitors into the station—at the very least, it might become a new destination for lunch in the West Loop.

There's no word yet on when the project will start or what kind of service disruptions—if any—Amtrak and Metra riders might experience during the process.

Take a look at some renderings of the new Union Station redevelopment project below.

Courtesy Goettsch Partners

  

Courtesy Goettsch Partners

Courtesy Goettsch Partners

All renderings courtesy Goettsch Partners.

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