Once heralded by Gov. JB Pritzker as an economic engine that would bring jobs and investment to Chicago’s Southeast Side, the proposed Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) is facing growing opposition from residents.
Community groups have mobilized against the 440-acre technology park—planned for the U.S. Steel South Works site—citing concerns over green space, pollution, water use, and what they see as longstanding disinvestment in their neighborhoods.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, Southside Together, a grassroots community-organizing and social-justice organization, held a “Community Over Quantum” event at Arnold Mireles Academy, a K-12 school just steps away from the proposed campus.
More than 100 people attended the midday event, where speakers called for the project to be stopped and demanded greater investment in surrounding neighborhoods.
The IQMP is envisioned as a quantum computing and microelectronics campus rather than a conventional data center, though the facilities share significant demands for electricity and water. Quantum computing is a form of computing designed to solve certain complex problems using the principles of quantum physics, while microelectronics focuses on the design and production of tiny electronic components such as computer chips.
A loss of green space
Beatrice Scescke lives at 8800 South Mackinaw, about 100 feet from the proposed quantum campus, which will occupy 128 acres within the broader technology park. Scescke said she worries the development will disrupt the open space and natural areas along the lakefront that she uses to bike and walk her dogs. Developers claim, however, that they plan to preserve or expand more than 100 acres of parkland.
“Outside of the loss of green space, it’s on what’s known to be contaminated land,” Scescke said.
The South Works site has a history of soil contamination from its former U.S. Steel operations, including arsenic and lead. Activists say construction could disturb contaminated soil and release toxic dust into the air.
Scescke got involved with Southside Together in the hopes of halting the project. The group goes to City Hall once a month, canvasses across the city, and is building an alliance against the project.
Other speakers shared a sentiment that they wanted to defend their communities against pollution, gentrification, and political neglect.
“People like me are being displaced and breathing toxic air. But I’m making the choice to stay in my community,” Southside Together speaker and Southeast Side resident Tiffany Moore said. “I will stay in the East side. The quantum center will not. I’m here today because I want to have control over my community.”
Faera McGruder of Southside Together said the proposed $9 billion development reflects a pattern in which large-scale industrial development brings economic promises while leaving residents with environmental and financial costs. In addition to the quantum facility, a hospital and commercial development is planned on the campus.
Community advocates have raised concerns that the broader redevelopment of the South Works site could increase rents and property taxes and contribute to displacement. McGruder also questioned whether local residents would benefit from the highly specialized jobs created by the project.
“The cost falls on residents time and time again,” McGruder said, adding that the community deserves “clean water, clean air and dignified jobs.”
Mayor Johnson faces pressure from residents over the project
Mayor Brandon Johnson attended the Aug. 15 event and faced repeated calls from residents to oppose the project. Lia Terrell of Southside Together directly asked Johnson whether he believed the quantum facility aligned with his values.
Days before the event, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced on Instagram that he had signed an executive order strengthening regulations on data centers and called on the City Council to impose a temporary moratorium on new facilities and major expansions. Johnson cited concerns over data centers’ impacts on electricity, water, energy costs and public health, saying development must occur “in partnership with the communities most impacted.”
Johnson stopped short of opposing the project, instead saying that his “values have not changed” and that the state had guaranteed the site would undergo full remediation.
“Innovation cannot take [the] place of environmental justice,” Johnson said. “Private investment cannot take place in the place of public health.”
Johnson also said, at the event, that he is working with the City Council on a moratorium on data centers. Residents at Saturday’s event repeatedly compared the project to a data center, citing concerns about its potential demands for electricity and water.
Johnson left the event early after the audience burst into several rounds of boos and shouts of disagreement.
Residents questioned how many of the highly specialized jobs promised by the project would be accessible to people living nearby, when only about one-third of South Shore residents 25 and older hold a college degree, compared with nearly half of Chicago residents overall, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by the University of Chicago.
Renee Redmond said she would rather see investment in local hospitals, including a permanent maternity ward, as well as grocery stores, pharmacies, veterinary care and public schools.
Southeast Side resident Frederick Boyd said he was disappointed by Johnson’s response, which he described as vague and noncommittal. Boyd, who has asthma, said the city should prioritize basic services such as pharmacies in his neighborhood.
“He didn’t really answer the question,” Boyd said. “He beat around the bush.”
“There was a feeling of hope and optimism that we can shut this down, that we can protect ourselves, that we can have sovereignty as people and as a neighborhood,” Scescke said. “That we can protect our communities.”