PUTTING ASSETS TO WORK Cook County / Phase 2
PUTTING ASSETS TO WORK / COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

Site Atlas

Twenty-two priority opportunities across three asset portfolios

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

About this Atlas

Prepared for the Cook County Bureau of Finance, the Site Atlas is the recommendation document from Putting Assets to Work (PAW) Phase 2. It identifies 22 priority opportunities across the County's real estate portfolio that can generate revenue without selling assets, sized to complement the active County workstreams identified through the Phase 2 records review.

How to read the revenue numbers

Every revenue figure in this Atlas is lease income to the County as landowner, not income from the County building, buying, owning, or operating anything. A private partner finances, builds, and operates the improvement; the County leases the land and keeps it. Ground rent is set the way an appraiser would: land value from comparable sales, then a market ground-lease rate of about 6 to 8 percent of that value. For the marquee joint-development sites the County can go beyond flat rent to participation rent or an equity stake (the Harrison Square model) to capture upside while still retaining ownership.

Every headline figure carries a confidence label

Verified every input sourced to a named current document, arithmetic checked, citable externally.   Estimated inputs sourced but one or more required extrapolation; usable for planning.   Illustrative directional only; one or more inputs unverified or jurisdiction-unconfirmed. Shows order of magnitude, not a finding.

What you will find

Three portfolios are organized by asset type and revenue model:

Real Estate Top 10

Ten priority redevelopment sites organized by Stage 1 to 3 time-to-revenue. Each is a parcel-level recommendation that leads with the annual lease revenue to the County, with land value, Revenue Resiliency score, and policy alignment. Several carry a layered solar revenue stream on the same parcel.

Energy Top 8

Ten solar canopy and EV charging opportunities sized to complement active County solar workstreams identified through the records review. Two revenue buckets: utility bill savings to operating departments and additional ground lease plus EV County share revenue to the Bureau of Finance.

Rights-Based Top 4

Five monetization plays that generate revenue without selling or developing land: air rights, telecom licensing, billboard licensing, and parking yield management. Combined potential of additional recurring revenue plus a possible one-time air rights sale.

How to use this Atlas

Each tab is a self-contained portfolio with its own priority list and methodology. The Overview tab shows the framework and a portfolio snapshot of all 25 opportunities. Each site card includes a parcel map, revenue numbers, methodology, and what we still need to verify in Phase 3. Every multiplier in the revenue numbers traces to an active public source.

What is deliberately not in this Atlas

A few of the priority sites in this Atlas are active County workstreams, not net-new PAW finds: the Oak Forest Campus (Bureau of Asset Management), the Illinois Medical District garage and 1800 W Harrison cluster, and the DOC / Little Village campus. These are included and clearly tagged as active workstreams because PAW adds something specific to each: the deal structure and the timing. PAW recommends a ground lease with a participation or equity component, set before each developer selection or RFP locks the terms. Genuinely excluded are workstreams where PAW has nothing to add: the County's 28 already-executed solar projects, the JTDC parking rebuild, and the Cicero Records Center solar already in the 2020 Clean Energy Plan.

Sites where the math is too speculative to defend are flagged with a Low Confidence rating and explicit Phase 3 verification needs. The Rights-Based portfolio includes one such opportunity (R01 Cook County Building Complex air rights) where the dollar values are directional pending a parcel-specific zoning analysis.

PORTFOLIO SNAPSHOT

All 22 opportunities at a glance

Quick-reference tables for the three portfolios, ordered fastest-to-activate. Click any site number to jump to its full card. Revenue figures are lease income to the County as landowner.

Real Estate — 10 priority redevelopment sites

SiteNameStageAsset TypeAcresLand value (mid)Est. ground rentRRI
Site 01Logan Square Health CenterStage 1Real Estate Development0.18 ac$325K$20K-$26K/yr3.60
Site 02Lansing Torrence InterchangeStage 2Real Estate Development11 ac$4.95M$297K-$396K/yr4.20
Site 03S Woodlawn Pullman CorridorStage 2Real Estate Development3.6 ac$1.46M$88K-$117K/yr4.20
Site 04Markham WFH Interlocal CorridorStage 2Joint Development25 ac$6.25M$375K-$500K/yr4.10
Site 05Maywood Maybrook ClusterStage 2Real Estate Development18.5 ac$4.80M$288K-$384K/yr3.40
Site 06Oak Forest Campus Master PlanStage 3Joint Development343 ac$20.20M$1.21M-$1.62M/yr4.00
Site 071800 W Harrison IMD ClusterStage 3Joint Development19 ac$3.63M$218K-$290K/yr3.50
Site 08Little Village / DOC CampusStage 3Joint Development160 ac$32.00M$1.92M-$2.56M/yr3.20
Site 093050 S Sacramento Split-UseStage 3Joint Development3.0 ac$1.10M$66K-$88K/yr2.10
Site 10Thornton Unincorporated R4 PairStage 3Real Estate Development4.6 ac$345K$21K-$28K/yr1.70

Energy — 8 priority solar canopy + EV sites

SiteNameNet new County / yrAvoided cost / yrSolar capacityConfidence
E01Skokie Courthouse Surface Lots — remainder$79K-$93K$290K-$434K2,000-3,000 kWHigh
E02Bridgeview Courthouse Full Lot Canopy$208K-$229K$927K-$1.39M6,400-9,600 kWHigh
E03Maywood Courthouse Surface Lots — remainder$103K-$121K$348K-$521K2,400-3,600 kWHigh
E04Rolling Meadows 2115 W Euclid Surface Lot$113K-$124K$503K-$755K3,474-5,211 kWHigh
E05Stroger Hospital Surface Lots$68K-$89K$116K-$174K800-1,200 kWHigh
E06Lansing Torrence Highway-Strip + Atlas Vacant Parcels Bundle$107K-$142K$487K-$730K3,360-5,040 kWMedium — interim revenue, displaced when Atlas RE projects activate
E07CCHD Vehicle Yards — 3 Districts$48K-$62K$319K-$478K2,200-3,300 kWMedium — fleet model less precedented
E08Hawthorne Warehouse Rooftop Solar — Revival$42K-$52K$116K-$174K800-1,200 kWHigh — PVWatts already done by County

Rights-Based — 4 complementary monetization opportunities

#OpportunityPathwayAnnual revenueOne-time potentialConfidence
R01Cook County Telecom Master Lease Agreement ProgramTelecom licensing$250K-$520K / yrMedium
R02DOTH Right-of-Way Billboard Licensing PilotBillboard licensing$150K-$700K / yrMedium-High
R03Cloverleaf Interchange Stacked-Revenue PilotLayered: billboards + cell tower + solar + truck parking$200K-$400K / yr per pilot parcelMedium
R04Cook County Building Complex Air RightsAir rights / FAR transfer$1.00M-$3.00M / yr$20M-$50M one-timeLow
REAL ESTATE TOP 10

Priority redevelopment sites

10
Priority redevelopment sites
carried through full PAW methodology
$75M
Portfolio mid ground value
(range $40M to $125M)
1 / 4 / 5
Stage 1 / Stage 2 / Stage 3
time-to-revenue across the 8 sites
Stage legend: Stage 1 Activate Now (0-18 mo) · Stage 2 Structure and Launch (2-4 yr) · Stage 3 Reposition (4-7+ yr)
REAL ESTATE SITE PROFILES

The priority Real Estate sites

Each site is collapsible. Site 01 is open by default. Click a site name to collapse it and open another. The header band on every site shows the ground value range up top, with revenue layers for sites that can also activate a Stage 1 parking-canopy or licensing layer in parallel.

01SITE
Health-Adjacent Mixed-Use · Proof of Concept

Logan Square Health Center Site

2840-2844 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago IL 60647 (Jefferson Twp)
Real Estate Development No rezone
STAGE 1
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$20K to $26KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$325K land value (land range $195K to $520K). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextLogan Square Fullerton Avenue commercial corridor. CTA Blue Line Logan Square station ~0.6 mi east. Logan Square Special Character Overlay applies. Ward 35.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
13-25-323-039-0000County0.066
13-25-323-040-0000County0.066
13-25-323-041-0000County0.066
Acres
0.18 (three contributing PINs forming one site)
Developable
0.18
Zoning
C1-1 Neighborhood Commercial (Chicago)
Building footprint
Existing single-story brick health center building, ~3,500-4,000 SF estimated. Building condition assessment owed.
Rezone
No for current use. Upzone to C1-2 or C1-3 for higher density (6-9 months alderman-led).
Flood / wetlands
Likely Zone X (urban interior).
Site at a glance
A single site composed of three contributing PINs (2840, 2842, 2844 W Fullerton) totaling about 0.18 acres. An existing single-story brick Logan Square Health Center building occupies the parcels with an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 SF footprint. Year built per County Assessor records (verify in Phase 3). Zoned C1-1 Neighborhood Commercial.
Development concept
Three credible paths. (1) Lease the existing building as-is to any use permitted under C1-1 (community health, daycare, small office, retail, mission-driven non-profit). (2) Demolish and rebuild at C1-1 FAR 1.2 to about 9,400 GSF. (3) Alderman-led upzone to C1-2 or C1-3 (FAR 2.2 to 3.0) for higher-density mixed-use redevelopment of about 17K to 23K GSF.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: Chicago Zoning C1-1 FAR 1.2, height 38 ft. C1-2 upzone FAR 2.2, height 50 ft. C1-3 FAR 3.0. Logan Square Special Character Overlay may apply.
Developable acres: 0.18
FAR assumption: C1-1 by-right FAR 1.2 or alderman-led upzone to C1-2 / C1-3
Max GSF: ~9.4K GSF (C1-1) up to ~23K GSF (C1-3 upzone)
Realistic GSF: ~7K to 17K GSF
Unit estimate: Lease scenario: existing 3.5-4K SF facility. Redev scenario: 6 to 20 mixed-use units.
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
1
Operational Feasibility (25%)
5
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
5
Time to Benefit (5%)
5
COMPOSITE3.6 / 5.00
Agreement structure
Cook County + City of Chicago (Alderman Ward 35, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa)
Open items for Phase 3
  • Building condition assessment (age, structural integrity, mechanical systems, roof).
  • Alderman coordination (Ward 35).
  • Lease vs redevelopment decision with County stakeholders.
  • Logan Square Special Character Overlay compliance review.
02SITE
Highway-Interchange Commercial Cluster

Lansing Torrence / Hoxie I-80 Interchange Cluster

17415 Hoxie + 17432/17434/17356 Torrence Ave, Lansing IL 60438 (Thornton Twp)
Real Estate Development No rezone
STAGE 2 +Stage 1: parallel layer
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$297K to $396KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$4.95M land value (land range $2.75M to $8.25M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextSouth suburban Lansing at the I-80 / I-94 Frank Borman Expressway interchange with Torrence Avenue. 133K+ daily vehicles on the freeway, 29K daily on Torrence. Adjacent commercial includes Public Storage, QuikTrip, and a hotel.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
29-25-404-039-0000County2.99
30-30-300-039-0000County3.4
30-30-301-033-0000County3.26
29-25-402-031-0000County1.43
Acres
11.08 contiguous
Developable
~7 interior commercial + ~4 highway-strip solar
Zoning
Surrounding pattern is B-3 Service Business or M-1 Light Mfg (Village of Lansing — verify)
Building footprint
0 ac, vacant per 2022 data
Rezone
No for commercial. 6 to 12 months if residential target.
Flood / wetlands
Likely Zone X. Thorn Creek tributary 0.4 mi west; site on upland fill (interchange terrace).
Site at a glance
Four contiguous County parcels at the highway interchange, about 11 acres total, all vacant per 2022 footprint data. The south edge of the cluster abuts the expressway right-of-way (highway-strip carve-out). The north edge fronts Bernice Road. Two private parcels at 2455 Bernice Rd (Patel + Kelley, 1.33 ac combined) sit inside the cluster.
Development concept
Interchange retail or hospitality development on the developable interior (about 7 acres once the highway-strip carve-out is set aside). The carve-out itself can host parking lot solar canopy. Visibility from the expressway is the value driver. Adjacent retail confirms the submarket.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: B-3 commercial ~1.0 FAR. Verify Village of Lansing zoning on each PIN.
Developable acres: 7.0
FAR assumption: B-3 commercial ~1.0
Max GSF: ~305K GSF commercial
Realistic GSF: 120K to 180K GSF (interchange retail + fast-casual + hospitality mix)
Unit estimate: N/A for retail. ~70 hotel keys at limited-service density.
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
5
Policy Roadmap (20%)
3
Risk (inverse) (15%)
3
Time to Benefit (5%)
3
COMPOSITE4.2 / 5.00
Agreement structure
Village of Lansing + IDOT setback coordination
Open items for Phase 3
  • BAM acreage reconciliation on 17415 Hoxie (Regrid 2.99 ac vs original County screen 1.54 ac).
  • Village of Lansing zoning code confirmation on all four parcels (Regrid showed null).
  • Highway-strip carve-out boundary survey between developable interior and IDOT setback.
  • IDOT 660-ft billboard control buffer assessment.
03SITE
Mixed-Use Corridor Redevelopment

S Woodlawn Pullman Corridor

S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago IL 60628 (Pullman / Roseland, ~9700-9800 block, South Chicago Twp)
Real Estate Development No rezone Opportunity Zone
STAGE 2
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$88K to $117KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$1.46M land value (land range $728K to $2.37M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextPullman / Roseland corridor on Chicago south side. Active Pullman activation underway since 2018 (Amazon, Whole Foods, SC Johnson 50+ acre industrial park). QOZ designation. Bishop Ford Expressway access. Red Line ~4 mi west.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
25-14-200-003-0000County3.64
Acres
3.64
Developable
3.63 (essentially the full parcel)
Zoning
B1-2 Neighborhood Shopping (Chicago)
Building footprint
0.01 ac, effectively vacant
Rezone
No for use family. Upzone if FAR target > 1.2.
Flood / wetlands
Likely Zone X (urban interior).
Site at a glance
A 3.64-acre parcel zoned B1-2 Neighborhood Shopping. Zero buildings per 2022 footprint. Verified vacant. Sits in the Pullman / Roseland corridor which has been activated by major industrial users in the past 5 years.
Development concept
Small-to-mid mixed-use development under existing B1-2 zoning. Ground-floor retail with residential above, or community-serving retail. QOZ tax stack supports financing. Pullman corridor demand provides absorption. If a larger-scale target (FAR above 1.2), a quick upzone to B3-2 is straightforward through the alderman.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: Chicago Zoning Ordinance B1-2 FAR 1.2, height 38 ft. B3-2 upzone FAR 3.0.
Developable acres: 3.63
FAR assumption: B1-2 FAR 1.2 (could upzone to B3-2 = 3.0)
Max GSF: 190K GSF (B1-2) up to ~475K GSF (B3-2 upzone)
Realistic GSF: 120K to 250K GSF mixed-use
Unit estimate: ~100 to 200 residential units above ground-floor retail
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
3
Operational Feasibility (25%)
5
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
5
Time to Benefit (5%)
3
COMPOSITE4.2 / 5.00
Agreement structure
Cook County + City of Chicago (Alderman Ward 9, Anthony Beale)
Open items for Phase 3
  • BAM tenancy confirmation.
  • Alderman coordination (Ward 9).
  • Pullman Civic Organization community engagement.
  • Density target decision (B1-2 keeps it as-is, upzone if more density wanted).
04SITE
Workforce Housing · Interlocal Corridor

Markham Workforce Housing Interlocal Corridor

Kedzie Pkwy 163rd to 166th, Markham IL (Bremen Twp)
Joint Development Rezone needed Opportunity Zone Flood compliance
STAGE 2
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$375K to $500KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$6.25M land value (land range $2.50M to $10.00M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextSouth suburban Markham. Kedzie Parkway corridor between Prairie Hills School District 144 campus and the Markham Courthouse. Major south-suburban arterial. Bremen Township school district anchors family housing demand.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
28-24-308-017-0000County8.23
28-24-324-001-0000County5.49
28-24-324-002-0000County2.89
28-24-305-046-0000County2.53
28-24-304-046-0000County2.51
28-24-301-042-0000City of Markham1.9
28-24-301-043-0000City of Markham1.86
Acres
~25 (21 County + 3.76 City of Markham)
Developable
~24
Zoning
Mix of SU (Special Use), L-2 Light Manufacturing, S Special
Building footprint
~0.59 ac across 1 building (mostly vacant)
Rezone
Yes — to R6 multifamily, plus likely flood-compliance on south parcels, 24 to 36 months
Flood / wetlands
FEMA verified south parcels (16500 Sacramento, 16401 Kedzie Pky) as shaded X (between 100-yr and 500-yr floodplains). NOT AE. No flood discount warranted.
Site at a glance
~25 acres along Kedzie Parkway across seven parcels. Five County-owned parcels (21 acres of workforce-housing land) plus two City of Markham parcels (3.76 acres) at the north end at 16301 Kedzie Pky. The corridor spans four blocks from 163rd to 166th Street, with the Markham Courthouse at its south end and Prairie Hills SD 144 across the street.
Development concept
A workforce and affordable housing development across County and City of Markham land treated as a single planning area. ~24 developable acres can support 600 to 900 units depending on density. School adjacency makes this naturally family-oriented. QOZ supports tax-stack financing. Markham Courthouse provides anchor employment. Lives or dies on the interlocal MOU and on confirming the Little Calumet flood overlay does not bind the south parcels.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: Multifamily target requires R6 rezone. Bremen Twp typical FAR 1.5 mid-density MF.
Developable acres: 24.0
FAR assumption: R6 post-rezone ~1.5
Max GSF: ~1.6M GSF residential
Realistic GSF: ~800K to 1.0M GSF phased
Unit estimate: 600 to 900 multifamily units at ~30 units per acre
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
3
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
3
Time to Benefit (5%)
3
COMPOSITE4.1 / 5.00
Agreement structure (multi-party)
Cook County + City of Markham + School District 144 coordination
Open items for Phase 3
  • Interlocal MOU between Cook County and City of Markham scoping the joint planning area.
  • LIHTC eligibility review (Markham Courthouse is LIHTC-encumbered per County records; confirm corridor inheritance).
  • School District 144 coordination on traffic, enrollment capacity, community input.
  • Workforce-housing developer RFP scoping.
05SITE
Industrial / Logistics Cluster

Maywood Maybrook Cluster

1500 + 1700 Maybrook Dr, Maywood IL 60153 (Proviso Twp)
Real Estate Development No rezone Opportunity Zone Flood compliance Solar layer (see Energy tab)
STAGE 2 +Stage 1: parallel layer
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$288K to $384KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$4.80M land value (land range $3.00M to $8.00M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextWest suburban Maywood, Proviso Township. Des Plaines River on the west edge brings FEMA AE flood overlay. I-290 Eisenhower Expressway immediately south. UP Railroad corridor north. Anchored by the County 4th District Courthouse.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
15-14-210-021-0000County6.1
15-14-210-016-0000County5.3
15-14-210-022-0000County1.29
15-14-210-020-0000County1.1
15-14-209-021-0000County2.12
15-14-500-042-0000County2.57
Acres
18.5 total
Developable
~5 (1700 Maybrook + cleared portions of surface lots subject to operational continuity)
Zoning
I Industrial + C-4 Commercial split (Maywood Village)
Building footprint
~1.05 ac across 4 buildings (Courthouse + Sheriff)
Rezone
Not needed for industrial/commercial. 12 to 18 months if multifamily target.
Flood / wetlands
CONFIRMED FEMA Zone AE (Special Flood Hazard Area) on western edge. BFE ~613-615 ft NAVD88. CLOMR engineering required.
Site at a glance
Full County footprint covers the Maywood Courthouse (4th District, 184,841 GSF active courts), the Cook County Sheriff Police building, four surface parking lots, and the vacant 1700 Maybrook parcel. About 18.5 acres County-owned. FEMA confirmed AE flood overlay on the western edge along the Des Plaines River, which requires CLOMR engineering for any new vertical construction near the riverbank.
Development concept
Multi-layered structure. Courthouse keeps operating. 1700 Maybrook (2.57 acres vacant) becomes the ground-lease redev parcel. The courthouse parking surface across four lots gets a solar canopy plus EV charging via the parking license replication framework already advancing to the County Board. Flood-compliance engineering needed on the western edge before any new vertical construction.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: Maywood Village I + C-4 zoning ~1.5 FAR. Verify with Maywood Building Dept.
Developable acres: 2.57
FAR assumption: I + C-4 ~1.5
Max GSF: ~167K GSF on 1700 Maybrook
Realistic GSF: 100K to 130K GSF after flood-elevation setbacks
Unit estimate: N/A by-right (industrial zoning). ~80 multifamily units if Maywood rezones.
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
3
Policy Roadmap (20%)
3
Risk (inverse) (15%)
1
Time to Benefit (5%)
3
COMPOSITE3.4 / 5.00
Agreement structure
Maywood Village + Circuit Court + Sheriff coordination
Open items for Phase 3
  • CLOMR / LOMR engineering scope and budget.
  • 1700 Maybrook current-use confirmation by BAM.
  • Parking license replication framework application to the courthouse parking surface.
  • NWI wetland delineation on western parcel edges.
06SITE
Institutional Campus Redevelopment · Housing + Mixed-Use + Solar

Oak Forest Campus Master Plan

15901 Cicero Ave (campus) + 15850 / 15900 Crawford Ave (Crawford scenario), Oak Forest / Markham IL (Bremen Twp)
Joint Development Rezone needed Opportunity Zone Solar layer (see Energy tab)
STAGE 3 +Stage 1: parallel layer
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$1.21M to $1.62MIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$20.20M land value (land range $10.10M to $33.70M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds. For this marquee joint-development site the County can layer participation rent or an equity stake to capture upside.
Active County workstream · PAW adds structure & timingThe Bureau of Asset Management is already demolishing the campus and CBRE leads reuse planning. PAW's contribution is the deal structure (a ground lease with participation or equity, not a land sale) and the timing: lock the structure before the developer RFP issues. This validates and structures active County work; it is not presented as a net-new PAW find.
Surrounding contextSouth suburban Bremen Township. Tinley Creek Forest Preserve to the west, Fieldcrest Elementary School south of the cluster across 159th St. Oak Forest Metra (Rock Island District) ~0.5 mi east. Cook County Cemetery for the Indigent sits within the campus.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
28-22-100-001-0000County161.92
28-22-200-001-0000County82.05
28-22-201-007-0000County68.85
28-22-300-001-0000County24.44
28-22-201-006-0000County3.89
28-22-201-005-0000City of Markham2.23
Acres
343.4 (337 ac County + 6 ac interlocal)
Developable
~322 cleared and developable
Zoning
P-1 Public Land District (campus) + L-2 Light Manufacturing (Crawford City strip)
Building footprint
14.35 ac across 22 buildings on the active CCHD footprint
Rezone
Yes — PUD likely required at scale, 18 to 24 months
Flood / wetlands
Likely clean for the main campus. Tinley Creek perimeter parcels need FEMA verification.
Site at a glance
A 337-acre County health campus with the Oak Forest Health Center still active on about 14 acres. Three adjacent contiguous parcels (175 acres combined) are completely cleared per 2022 footprint data. A 6-acre interlocal scenario on Crawford Avenue (15850 County + 15900 City of Markham) folds in to the master plan area. Total planning area approaches 343 acres across 6 parcels. PAW’s role here is structure and timing, not site discovery: BAM is already demolishing the campus and CBRE leads reuse planning. (Campus acreage is unsettled, see Open items.)
Development concept
A phased ground lease, not a sale, with a participation or equity component so the County captures upside while keeping the land. CCHD keeps operating on its active 14-acre footprint throughout. The cleared remainder breaks into three lease-ready opportunity areas: (1) housing (workforce + affordable) on the south, next to Fieldcrest Elementary and the operating Health Center; (2) mixed-use commercial on the Cicero Avenue frontage, with the Crawford Avenue interlocal corridor as a separate light-commercial play; (3) solar on parking and cleared land as a layered PPA overlay (Energy E02). Protected oak-savanna conservation buffers stay out of the revenue footprint along the west edge. The decisive move: set the ground-lease structure before the developer RFP issues, otherwise the structural decision is effectively made for the County.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: P-1 caps at low intensity; PUD rezone enables FAR up to 2.0. Verify with County Planning.
Developable acres: 322.9
FAR assumption: 0.4 to 0.6 phased average (mid-density residential + cleared open space)
Max GSF: ~5.7M GSF theoretical max at 0.4 FAR
Realistic GSF: 1.5M to 2.5M GSF phased over 20 years
Unit estimate: 3,000 to 5,000 residential units across phases at 30 to 50 units per acre
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
3
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
3
Time to Benefit (5%)
1
COMPOSITE4.0 / 5.00
Agreement structure (multi-party)
Cook County + Bremen Township + Oak Forest municipality + City of Markham (for the Crawford strip)
Policy alignment
Policy Roadmap: Vital Communities (reactivate previously developed land); Affordable Housing funding (workforce + affordable units); Healthy Communities (housing adjacent to a County health facility); Clean Energy Plan (solar overlay). Site sits in a federal Opportunity Zone.
Open items for Phase 3
  • BAM building footprint reconciliation: DREM lists 50+ buildings, Footprints 2022 shows 22.
  • CCHD operational continuity plan for the active 14-acre footprint.
  • PUD master plan engagement (likely outside consultant).
  • Bulk vs parcel-by-parcel disposition strategy.
  • Environmental Phase I / II ESA on the hospital footprint.
  • Acreage to confirm with BAM: the County demolition page states 153 acres; County GIS shows ~162 acres for the primary parcel; the 5-parcel campus aggregation totals ~337 to 343 acres. Standardize before final.
  • Jurisdiction to confirm: County records and this Atlas show Oak Forest / Markham municipalities, while the County demolition page describes the campus as unincorporated. This changes who controls zoning.
  • Timing: the ground-lease structure recommendation must reach BAM before the developer RFP issues.
07SITE
Institutional / Mixed-Use · Medical District

1800 W Harrison IMD Master Plan Cluster

Harrison + Winchester + Wolcott + Ogden, Chicago IL 60612 (Illinois Medical District, North Chicago Twp)
Joint Development Rezone needed Solar layer (see Energy tab)
STAGE 3 +Stage 1: parallel layer
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$218K to $290KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$3.63M land value (land range $2.59M to $5.18M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds. For this marquee joint-development site the County can layer participation rent or an equity stake to capture upside.
Active County workstream · PAW adds structure & timingThe IMD garage cluster and 1800 W Harrison sit inside the Illinois Medical District master plan. PAW's contribution is the ground-lease and participation structure, coordinated with the IMD board, not a net-new find.
Surrounding contextIllinois Medical District 560-acre master-planned campus. Adjacent Stroger Hospital, UIC Medical, Rush University Medical. Multiple CTA stations (Polk Pink Line ~0.4 mi, Medical District Blue Line ~0.5 mi). Hyatt Place hotel adjacency. Eisenhower Expressway 0.4 mi north.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
17-18-403-003-0000County5.17
17-18-403-007-0000County2.59
17-18-403-004-0000County2.24
17-18-401-066-0000County0.98
17-18-401-068-0000County0.5
17-18-402-035-0000County0.61
17-18-402-025-0000County0.39
17-18-402-033-0000County0.24
17-18-402-034-0000County0.23
17-18-402-042-0000County0.21
17-18-402-041-0000County0.19
17-18-402-001-0000County0.18
17-18-402-032-0000County0.15
17-18-402-021-0000County0.1
17-18-403-005-0000CHDG Phase 1A1 (Hyatt Place hotel)1.74
Acres
19.0 total (15 parcels)
Developable
~10 (cleared County land after subtracting active Stroger footprint)
Zoning
PD-30 Illinois Medical District (state-authorized board under 70 ILCS 915)
Building footprint
3.44 ac on Stroger; surrounding parcels vacant
Rezone
Yes — IMD master plan amendment + Chicago zoning amendment, 24 to 36 months (slowest in the portfolio)
Flood / wetlands
West Loop / Near West Side, Zone X.
Site at a glance
A 15-parcel cluster in the Illinois Medical District spanning about 19 acres. The County owns ~14 acres across most of the cluster, plus the Stroger Hospital footprint at 1611 W Harrison. The Hyatt Place hotel parcel at 1800 W Harrison is privately owned by CHDG Phase 1A1, occupies a 108-year-old historic structure (approximately 1917 construction, 44,576 SF across 2 buildings on 1.74 acres), and sits in the same planning area under PD-30. Air rights at 1911 W Harrison are split between County and Hyatt. The IMD Commission governs uses under 70 ILCS 915 with PD-30 layered on Chicago zoning. Click any parcel on the map to see PIN, owner, and acreage.
Development concept
A master plan that replaces surface parking with structured parking, infills medical office and workforce housing on cleared County parcels, integrates with Hyatt hotel expansion and air-rights development, and connects to Stroger continuity. PD-30 allows higher density for medical-aligned uses. OZ + EZ + TIF financing stack available.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: PD-30 IMD master plan controls. Chicago Cityscape PD-30 page. Medical-aligned mixed use typically supported up to FAR 4-5.
Developable acres: 10.0
FAR assumption: PD-30 medical-aligned ~4.0
Max GSF: ~1.7M GSF total master plan
Realistic GSF: ~800K to 1.2M GSF phased (mid-rise medical office + housing + structured parking)
Unit estimate: ~400 to 800 residential units (workforce / medical staff) plus medical office GSF
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
1
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
3
Time to Benefit (5%)
1
COMPOSITE3.5 / 5.00
Agreement structure (multi-party)
Cook County + City of Chicago + IMD Commission (70 ILCS 915) + Hyatt Place operator + adjacent CHDG ownership
Open items for Phase 3
  • IMD Commission engagement (70 ILCS 915 governance).
  • IMD master plan amendment scoping.
  • Chicago zoning amendment process.
  • OZ + EZ + TIF stacking strategy with City DPD.
  • Medical or research institution partner outreach.
08SITE
Institutional Campus Redevelopment · Mixed-Use

Little Village / DOC Campus Master Plan

26th, 28th, 31st St between California and Western, Chicago IL 60608/60623 (Lower West Side / Little Village, West Chicago Twp)
Joint Development No rezone Solar layer (see Energy tab)
STAGE 3 +Stage 1: parallel layer
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$1.92M to $2.56MIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$32.00M land value (land range $18.00M to $50.00M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds. For this marquee joint-development site the County can layer participation rent or an equity stake to capture upside.
Active County workstream · PAW adds structure & timingThe DOC / Little Village campus is an active County workstream led by the Bureau of Asset Management and County Real Estate. PAW's role is the ground-lease and equity structure and the timing, not the site itself.
Surrounding contextLower West Side / Little Village. Pilsen and Little Village commercial corridors adjacent. Stevenson Expressway access 1 mi south. Little Village Industrial Corridor TIF context. Chicago DPD active redevelopment focus area.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
16-25-401-014-0000County (DOC main)41.67
16-25-306-002-0000County (DOC Div III)40.6
16-25-306-001-0000County (DOC north)11.85
16-25-400-014-0000County (cleared)11.03
16-25-401-017-0000County (cleared)3.91
16-25-401-016-0000County (cleared)4.65
16-25-400-015-0000County (cleared)3.58
16-25-400-012-0000County4.49
16-25-400-040-0000BNSF Railway5.25
16-25-503-001-0000BNSF Railway0.21
16-25-501-003-0000BNSF Railway3.03
16-25-503-005-0000BNSF Railway0.77
16-25-500-001-0000BNSF Railway3.26
16-25-313-001-0000City of Chicago24.24
Acres
~160 (120 County + 25 City of Chicago + 15 BNSF potential acquisition)
Developable
~50 (cleared County land + BNSF if acquired + City of Chicago 24 ac if assembled)
Zoning
PD-119 + PD-151 + M3-3 + PD-90 (multiple Planned Development overlays)
Building footprint
~23 ac across 48 buildings (DOC operational)
Rezone
No underlying rezone needed. PD amendments required for use changes.
Flood / wetlands
Likely Zone X (interior Chicago).
Site at a glance
A 160-acre planning area. The County owns ~120 acres including the active Cook County Department of Corrections campus (Division III + RTU + administrative on ~95 ac) plus ~25 acres of cleared adjacent land. The City of Chicago owns an adjacent 24.24-acre parcel at 2850 S California. BNSF Railway owns ~15 acres in the top-right corner that the County is reportedly in conversations to acquire. Click any parcel on the map to see PIN, owner, and acreage.
Development concept
A phased master plan that retains DOC operations on the western core, infills workforce and affordable housing on the northern cleared parcels, transitions the eastern flank (post-BNSF acquisition) from rail to light industrial / logistics / mixed use, and lays solar canopy plus EV charging across DOC surface parking. Adjacent City of Chicago 24-acre parcel becomes a joint planning area. Phased over 15 to 20 years with parking lot solar activating in 12 to 24 months as an early revenue layer.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: PD overlays govern use. PD amendment process via DPD with City Council.
Developable acres: 50.0
FAR assumption: PD ~2.5 to 4.0 mixed use
Max GSF: ~5.4M GSF master plan
Realistic GSF: ~1.5M to 2.5M GSF phased
Unit estimate: ~1,500 to 3,000 residential units across phases (workforce + affordable + market) plus light industrial and community-serving program
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
5
Operational Feasibility (25%)
1
Policy Roadmap (20%)
5
Risk (inverse) (15%)
1
Time to Benefit (5%)
1
COMPOSITE3.2 / 5.00
Agreement structure (multi-party)
Cook County + City of Chicago + BNSF Railway (acquisition) + DOC operations + Chicago DPD (PD amendments)
Open items for Phase 3
  • BNSF Railway acquisition status confirmation and timeline.
  • DOC operational continuity plan for any phased reduction.
  • City of Chicago coordination on the 24.24-ac parcel at 2850 S California.
  • IEPA Phase I / II Environmental Site Assessments given M-class history.
  • PD amendment scope across PD-119, PD-151, PD-90.
09SITE
Split-Use Commercial / Industrial

3050 S Sacramento Split-Use Site

3050 S Sacramento Ave, Chicago IL 60623 (Little Village, West Chicago Twp)
Joint Development No rezone
STAGE 3
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$66K to $88KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$1.10M land value (land range $700K to $1.60M). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextLittle Village Industrial Corridor, west side Chicago. 656-acre TIF district. Active Chicago Fire Department station co-tenant on the west half. Stevenson Expressway access 1 mi south. Pilsen / Little Village commercial corridor adjacency.
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
16-25-312-001-0000County2.97
Acres
2.97 (1 acre fire station on east + ~2 acres open ground on west)
Developable
~2.0 (western half)
Zoning
M2-3 Light Industry (Chicago)
Building footprint
0.93 ac (fire station + apron on east half)
Rezone
No for industrial. Planned Development required for mixed-use or residential.
Flood / wetlands
Little Village interior, likely Zone X.
Site at a glance
A 2.97-acre parcel with split current use. The eastern half houses an active Chicago Fire Department station and apparatus apron. The western half is vacant open ground (~2 acres). Zoned M2-3 Light Industry. Sits inside the 656-acre Little Village TIF district.
Development concept
A long-term ground lease on the western developable half for light industrial, logistics, or community-serving mixed-use, while the Fire Department continues operating on the eastern half. TIF subsidies plus M2-3 zoning support financing. Joint Development MOU required between Cook County, City of Chicago, and Chicago Fire Department to preserve station operations. Note: Chicago M-class zoning does not permit residential by-right; Planned Development is required for any mixed-use program.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: Chicago Zoning Sec. 17-5: M-class does NOT permit residential by-right. PD required for mixed-use. Base FAR 3.0 for M2-3.
Developable acres: 2.0
FAR assumption: M2-3 FAR 3.0 or PD with mixed use
Max GSF: ~260K GSF light industrial or ~310K GSF PD mixed-use
Realistic GSF: 120K to 180K GSF industrial; 180K to 220K GSF PD mixed
Unit estimate: N/A by-right. PD rezone enables ~150-220 multifamily units if 60% residential mix.
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
3
Operational Feasibility (25%)
1
Policy Roadmap (20%)
3
Risk (inverse) (15%)
1
Time to Benefit (5%)
1
COMPOSITE2.1 / 5.00
Agreement structure (multi-party)
Cook County + City of Chicago + Chicago Fire Department (CFD)
Open items for Phase 3
  • Joint County + City of Chicago + CFD task-force scoping.
  • Survey of the developable eastern half boundary.
  • Fire station operational continuity MOU including emergency access, sirens, response paths.
  • TIF allocation evaluation with City DPD.
10SITE
Residential Infill

Thornton Unincorporated R4 Pair

Unincorporated Thornton Township (no street address)
Real Estate Development Rezone needed
STAGE 3
Est. ground rent to County / yr
$21K to $28KIllustrative
Lease income to the County as landowner: about 6 to 8 percent of the ~$345K land value (land range $184K to $575K). The County keeps the land; a private partner finances and builds.
Surrounding contextUnincorporated Thornton Township, south Cook. Single-family residential context. Thornton Township School District 154. Cook County zoning governs directly (no municipal overlay).
Parcel details and zoning
PINOwnerAcres
29-34-200-001-0000County1.97
29-27-401-003-0000County2.62
Acres
4.59 contiguous
Developable
4.59
Zoning
R4 Single Family Residence (Cook County Comprehensive Zoning Ord.)
Building footprint
0 ac, vacant
Rezone
Yes — R4 to R6 for multifamily, 12 to 18 months (County ZBA + Board)
Flood / wetlands
Likely Zone X. Upland by topography.
Site at a glance
Two adjacent County-owned parcels in unincorporated Thornton Township with no street address. Together 4.59 acres, both zoned R4 Single Family Residence under the Cook County Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Vacant per 2022 footprint data.
Development concept
Workforce or affordable housing if the County rezones R4 to R6 or R7 multifamily. The County rezone process runs through the Zoning Board of Appeals and the County Board, which is slower than a municipal rezone (12 to 18 months). Post-rezone, ground lease to a workforce-housing developer at modest land values reflecting the unincorporated south-suburb submarket.
Density potential
What these terms mean
FAR (Floor Area Ratio): how dense the building can be relative to lot size. FAR 1.5 on a 10,000 SF lot allows up to 15,000 SF of building (across all floors combined). Higher FAR = more building allowed.
Max GSF (Gross Square Feet): the largest building size permitted under the zoning's FAR cap.
Realistic GSF: what is actually buildable after setbacks, parking, and design constraints typically reduce theoretical maximum.
Verification: County R4 = Single Family. R6 post-rezone ~1.5 FAR mid-density MF.
Developable acres: 4.59
FAR assumption: R6 post-rezone ~1.5
Max GSF: ~300K GSF
Realistic GSF: ~140K to 180K GSF
Unit estimate: ~135 multifamily units at 30 units per acre
Revenue Resiliency score
Financial Impact (35%)
1
Operational Feasibility (25%)
1
Policy Roadmap (20%)
3
Risk (inverse) (15%)
3
Time to Benefit (5%)
1
COMPOSITE1.7 / 5.00
Agreement structure
Cook County (no municipal partner as parcels are unincorporated)
Open items for Phase 3
  • Visual walk to confirm developable shape (adjacent 29-35 cluster was highway; this pair must be verified).
  • County zoning rezone process scoping with ZBA staff.
  • Annexation evaluation (Thornton Village absorption vs continue unincorporated).
  • Local broker BOV on multifamily land value.
ENERGY TOP 8

Surface canopy + EV and ground-mount

21,434-32,151 kW Illustrative
Total solar capacity across the 8 sites
(roughly 54,000 to 80,000 solar modules)
$768K-$912K
Net new County revenue per year
(ground lease + EV County share)
$3.11M-$4.66M
Avoided cost per year
(utility savings to operating departments)
EV market saturation tiers: Clear Runway fewer than 2 stations within 1 mi · Moderate 2-5 stations · Competitive 5-10 stations · Saturated 10+ stations · Mixed bundle with different tiers per sub-site
Confidence: High anchored to County PVWatts data or active contract precedent · Medium industry benchmark plus site-specific estimate · Low placeholder pending Phase 3 verification
ENERGY SITE PROFILES

The priority Energy sites

How to read the Energy portfolio · the recommendation is the portfolio move, not site-by-site precisionReplicate the Skokie Courthouse PPA across many County sites through one bulk RFQ/RFP: a private developer finances, builds, and operates while the County hosts the land and collects lease and avoided-cost value with no County capital. Per-site capacities below are planning-level estimates (acres × an industry density benchmark) and likely overstate what the County's own engineering will support. Treat all kW and dollar figures as illustrative pending the County's Owned-and-Operated Buildings Solar Analysis. The point is directional: the County has far more solar-ready surface than it has activated.

Each site is collapsible. Site E01 is open by default. Click a site name to collapse it and open another. The value band at the top of each card shows the net new County revenue range with both the ground lease and EV County share figures called out explicitly.

The two revenue buckets — click to expand +
The two revenue buckets — why we show both

Avoided cost

Goes to the operating department whose utility bill drops (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH). At calibrated $144.83 per kW per year (ComEd commercial rate × NREL PVWatts production; the Skokie Courthouse figure is pending BAM confirmation), the Top 10 portfolio could deliver $3.11M to $4.66M per year in utility savings.

Net new County revenue

Goes to the Cook County General Fund / Bureau of Finance. This is the ground lease ($5,000 per acre for canopy, $1,500 per acre for ground-mount per IL public benchmarks) plus the County's 30% share of EV gross revenue (typical operator-host split). $768K to $912K per year in additional dollars to the General Fund across the Top 10.

Both numbers are real. Both matter. They are different buckets going to different stakeholders.

E01ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV

Skokie Courthouse Surface Lots — remainder

5600 W Old Orchard Rd, Skokie IL 60077
Surface canopy + L2-only EV Saturated Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$79K to $93K
Ground lease $50K/yr + EV County share $29K to $43K/yr. Plus $290K to $434K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusCounty 1,560 kW rooftop + parking active (~3 ac coverage). PAW adds canopy on remaining ~10 ac.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
10.0
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
1,560
PAW added kW (low)
2,000
PAW added kW (high)
3,000
Module count (at 400W)
5,000-7,500 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$290K to $434K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
16
Recommended DCFC ports
2
Gross EV revenue / yr
$98K to $142K
County share (30%)
$29K to $43K
Saturation context
Electrify America 350 kW DCFC across the street kills head-to-head DCFC. 10+ stations within 1 mi. PAW reframe: L2-only with solar canopy as headline.
Why this site
10 acres of surface lot remainder after the County's active 1,560 kW rooftop and parking installation. Supports 2,000-3,000 kW of canopy (about 5,000-7,500 modules) plus 16 L2 ports. DCFC dropped to 2 because Electrify America 350 kW DCFC sits directly across Old Orchard Rd. Net new County revenue $79K-$93K per year plus $290K-$434K per year in utility savings. The canopy is the headline; the L2 mix matches court 8-hour dwell times perfectly.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $50K per year
= (10.0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $29K to $43K per year
= (16 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (2 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $79K to $93K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$290K to $434K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E02ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV

Bridgeview Courthouse Full Lot Canopy

10220 S 76th Ave, Bridgeview IL 60455
Surface canopy + EV Clear Runway Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$208K to $229K
Ground lease $160K/yr + EV County share $48K to $69K/yr. Plus $927K to $1.39M/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusCounty 12-space starter (202 kW) + 4 EV stations active. 905 kW carport proposal on hold per cost — PAW revives via PPA / no County capex.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
32.0
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
202
PAW added kW (low)
6,400
PAW added kW (high)
9,600
Module count (at 400W)
16,000-24,000 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$927K to $1.39M
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
20
Recommended DCFC ports
4
Gross EV revenue / yr
$160K to $230K
County share (30%)
$48K to $69K
Saturation context
1 station within 1 mi (Cook County pilot). Pilot Travel Center 1.3 mi. No nearby commercial DCFC.
Why this site
Largest PAW canopy opportunity in the portfolio. The 32-acre lot supports 6,400-9,600 kW of solar canopy (roughly 16,000-24,000 modules at 400 watts each) plus 20 Level 2 ports and 4 DC Fast Chargers. Net new County revenue $208K-$229K per year from ground lease and 30% EV share, on top of $927K-$1.39M per year in utility savings to the courthouse. The County already proved the canopy + EV pattern here: a 200 kW Solar Trees pilot and 4 active EV stations executed by Quantum Crossings, with a 905 kW carport proposal that paused on cost. PAW unlocks the remaining 32 acres via PPA / no-County-capex finance.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $160K per year
= (32.0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $48K to $69K per year
= (20 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (4 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $208K to $229K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$927K to $1.39M per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E03ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV

Maywood Courthouse Surface Lots — remainder

1500 Maybrook Dr, Maywood IL 60153
Surface canopy + EV Layered on Atlas Site 04 Moderate Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$103K to $121K
Ground lease $60K/yr + EV County share $43K to $61K/yr. Plus $348K to $521K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusCounty has 696 kW rooftop + 789.6 kW ground mount in construction (~3.5 ac of the 15.91 ac surface lot complex). PAW adds canopy on remaining ~12 ac.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
12.0
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
1,485.6
PAW added kW (low)
2,400
PAW added kW (high)
3,600
Module count (at 400W)
6,000-9,000 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$348K to $521K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
14
Recommended DCFC ports
4
Gross EV revenue / yr
$142K to $203K
County share (30%)
$43K to $61K
Saturation context
2 stations within 1 mi. I-290 corridor justifies DCFC; equity zone enables IL EPA EJ rebate stacking.
Why this site
12 acres of surface lot remainder after the County's 789.6 kW ground mount in construction. Supports 2,400-3,600 kW of additional canopy (roughly 6,000-9,000 modules) plus 14 L2 and 4 DCFC ports. Net new County revenue $103K-$121K per year plus $348K-$521K per year in utility savings. The I-290 corridor supports DCFC pass-through and Maywood's environmental justice zone unlocks IL EPA equity rebates up to 80% of project capex. Layered on Atlas Real Estate Site 04.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $60K per year
= (12.0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $43K to $61K per year
= (14 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (4 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $103K to $121K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$348K to $521K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E04ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV

Rolling Meadows 2115 W Euclid Surface Lot

2115 W Euclid Ave, Rolling Meadows IL 60008
Surface canopy + L2-focused EV Competitive Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$113K to $124K
Ground lease $87K/yr + EV County share $26K to $37K/yr. Plus $503K to $755K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusNot on County 28-site assessment. Pure Complementary opportunity. Rooftop at adjacent courthouse is separately in construction (831.6 kW).
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
17.37
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
0
PAW added kW (low)
3,474
PAW added kW (high)
5,211
Module count (at 400W)
8,685-13,027 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$503K to $755K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
12
Recommended DCFC ports
2
Gross EV revenue / yr
$86K to $124K
County share (30%)
$26K to $37K
Saturation context
22 Meijer fast chargers + Tesla Supercharger within 0.5 mi. PAW reframe: downscale DCFC; lead with L2 for captive court audience.
Why this site
17.37-acre surface lot the County has not assessed (the rooftop on the adjacent courthouse is separately in construction at 831.6 kW). Supports 3,474-5,211 kW of canopy (about 8,685-13,027 modules) plus 12 L2 and 2 DCFC ports. Net new County revenue $113K-$124K per year plus $503K-$755K per year in utility savings. DCFC count is intentionally low because 22 Meijer fast chargers and a Tesla Supercharger sit within 0.5 miles. The canopy is the headline play; L2 charges captive court visitors during their 8-hour dwell.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $87K per year
= (17.37 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $26K to $37K per year
= (12 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (2 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $113K to $124K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$503K to $755K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E05ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV

Stroger Hospital Surface Lots

1969 W Ogden Ave, Chicago IL 60612 (Illinois Medical District)
Surface canopy + EV Layered on Atlas Site 11 Competitive Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$68K to $89K
Ground lease $20K/yr + EV County share $48K to $69K/yr. Plus $116K to $174K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusCounty Stroger rooftop 731 kW in design. Surface lot separate, not assessed.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
4.0
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
731
PAW added kW (low)
800
PAW added kW (high)
1,200
Module count (at 400W)
2,000-3,000 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$116K to $174K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
20
Recommended DCFC ports
4
Gross EV revenue / yr
$160K to $230K
County share (30%)
$48K to $69K
Saturation context
4-5 public stations within 1 mi (Rush, UIC). 24/7 hospital demand offsets competition. Highest port density per acre in portfolio.
Why this site
4 acres of hospital surface lot the County has not assessed (Stroger rooftop is separately 731 kW in design). Highest port density per acre in the portfolio at 20 L2 and 4 DCFC because 24/7 hospital demand (patients, employees, visitors, ambulances) justifies it despite competitive Illinois Medical District context. Supports 800-1,200 kW of canopy (about 2,000-3,000 modules). Net new County revenue $68K-$89K per year plus $116K-$174K per year in utility savings. Layered on Atlas Real Estate Site 11.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $20K per year
= (4.0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $48K to $69K per year
= (20 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (4 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $68K to $89K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$116K to $174K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E06ENERGY
Ground-Mount Solar + Vacant-Parcel Bundle

Lansing Torrence Highway-Strip + Atlas Vacant Parcels Bundle

Lansing I-80/I-94 interchange + Thornton UNIC + S Woodlawn + 1700 Maybrook + 3050 Sacramento
Ground-mount on vacant land + DCFC anchor at Lansing Layered on Atlas Sites 04, 05, 06, 07, 09 Clear Runway across all 5 sub-sites Confidence: Medium
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$107K to $142K
Ground lease $25K/yr + EV County share $82K to $116K/yr. Plus $487K to $730K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusNone of these parcels on County solar assessment. All are vacant Atlas RE parcels — PAW unlocks interim ground-mount revenue layer 18-36 months before vertical development.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
0
Ground-mount acres
16.8
County existing kW
0
PAW added kW (low)
3,360
PAW added kW (high)
5,040
Module count (at 400W)
8,400-12,600 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$487K to $730K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
24
Recommended DCFC ports
8
Gross EV revenue / yr
$272K to $388K
County share (30%)
$82K to $116K
Saturation context
Lansing I-80/I-94 = highest DCFC pass-through in portfolio (Phillips Chevrolet at $0.45/kWh is only nearby competitor). Other parcels low public traffic, modest L2 only.
Why this site
Bundle of 5 Atlas Real Estate vacant parcels treated as one interim ground-mount layer 18-36 months before vertical development activates. Lansing Torrence at the I-80/I-94 interchange is the EV revenue standout: 8 L2 plus 6 DCFC at the highest pass-through traffic in the portfolio (133,000+ vehicles per day on the Frank Borman Expressway). Combined 16.8 acres supports 3,360-5,040 kW (about 8,400-12,600 modules). Net new County revenue $107K-$142K per year plus $487K-$730K per year in utility savings. Layered on Atlas Real Estate Sites 04, 05, 06, 07, and 09.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $25K per year
= (0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (16.8 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $82K to $116K per year
= (24 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (8 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $107K to $142K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$487K to $730K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E07ENERGY
Solar Canopy + EV · 3 Districts

CCHD Vehicle Yards — 3 Districts

Schaumburg (Dist 1) + Orland Park (Dist 4) + Riverdale (Dist 5)
Ground-mount + solar canopy on industrial yard Mixed saturation Confidence: Medium
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$48K to $62K
Ground lease $16K/yr + EV County share $31K to $45K/yr. Plus $319K to $478K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusCounty has rooftop in design at Orland (162 kW) + Riverdale (212 kW). Yards separate, not surfaced as an active workstream in available records. Industrial yards = clean GM canvas.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
0
Ground-mount acres
11.0
County existing kW
374
PAW added kW (low)
2,200
PAW added kW (high)
3,300
Module count (at 400W)
5,500-8,250 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$319K to $478K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
18
Recommended DCFC ports
2
Gross EV revenue / yr
$104K to $151K
County share (30%)
$31K to $45K
Saturation context
These are FLEET CHARGING assets, not retail EV. Revenue logic = (a) solar lease + (b) avoided diesel cost + (c) IL DCEO Drive Electric grants. EV revenue here represents fleet enablement, not public lease.
Why this site
Three industrial vehicle yards (Palatine + Orland Park + Riverdale) totaling about 11 acres, not surfaced as an active workstream in available records for ground-mount solar. Supports 2,200-3,300 kW combined (about 5,500-8,250 modules) plus 18 L2 and 2 DCFC ports sized for fleet enablement, not retail. Net new County revenue $48K-$62K per year (mostly ground lease) plus $319K-$478K per year in utility savings. Critical reframe: these are fleet-charging assets, not retail EV. The EV revenue line represents fleet electrification (plows, pickups, salt trucks) rather than public lease, complemented by IL DCEO Drive Electric grants.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $16K per year
= (0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (11.0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $31K to $45K per year
= (18 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (2 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $48K to $62K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$319K to $478K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
E08ENERGY
Rooftop Solar (PPA)

Hawthorne Warehouse Rooftop Solar — Revival

4545 W Cermak Rd, Chicago IL 60623 (North Lawndale)
Surface canopy + EV Moderate Confidence: High
SOLAR + EV
Two revenue streams
Solar canopy or ground-mount + EV charging layered on the same parcel.
Net new County / yr
$42K to $52K
Ground lease $20K/yr + EV County share $22K to $32K/yr. Plus $116K to $174K/yr avoided cost to operating departments.
County statusWhat we found: a County-owned historic masonry warehouse, built 1905, about 494,672 GSF on roughly 17.26 acres (PIN 16-27-101-007-0000), zoned M2-2 Light Industry in North Lawndale, with a rail line along the west edge and a large open yard on the east half. The Bureau of Asset Management currently lists it among maintained facilities and DREM carries it as County-owned, active storage. It is a historically significant terra-cotta masonry building that triggered Chicago's demolition-delay ordinance and was rehabilitated rather than demolished. Separate from the privately owned Hawthorne Works retail center at 4601-4779 W Cermak in Cicero.
Solar capacity
Canopy acres
4.0
Ground-mount acres
0
County existing kW
1,450
PAW added kW (low)
800
PAW added kW (high)
1,200
Module count (at 400W)
2,000-3,000 modules
Avoided cost / yr
$116K to $174K
How this is calculated
Solar kW: acres × 200 to 300 kW per acre (Illinois canopy industry benchmark)
Modules: kW ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W module is industry standard 2025-26)
Avoided cost: kW × $144.83 per year. Basis: ComEd commercial energy rate (~$0.124/kWh) × ~1,168 kWh/kW/yr (NREL PVWatts, Cook County). The Skokie Courthouse avoided-cost figure used to corroborate this is pending BAM documentation.
EV charging plan
Recommended L2 ports
8
Recommended DCFC ports
2
Gross EV revenue / yr
$74K to $106K
County share (30%)
$22K to $32K
Saturation context
2 stations within 1 mi (Scatchell's ChargePoint, 3801 S Central). Cermak Rd visibility supports modest public play.
Why this site
A rooftop-solar revival on an active County warehouse. The County has already run PVWatts here (about 1,450 kW of rooftop potential). PAW's path is a power purchase agreement with no County capital: a private developer finances, builds, and operates the rooftop array while the County hosts the roof and collects lease value. Illustrative net new County revenue is $42K to $52K per year, plus about $116K per year in utility-bill savings to operating departments. Cermak Road frontage supports a modest public EV-charging layer.
Revenue breakdown
Ground lease: $20K per year
= (4.0 canopy acres × $5,000) + (0 ground-mount acres × $1,500)

EV County share (30%): $22K to $32K per year
= (8 L2 × $3,000-$4,500) + (2 DCFC × $25,000-$35,000) × 30%

NET NEW COUNTY TOTAL: $42K to $52K per year
Utility-bill savings to operating departments
$116K to $174K per year in utility bill savings to whoever pays the power bill at this facility (Courts, Sheriff, Health, DOTH depending on site). This is NOT additional County revenue. It is operating cost reduction.
Sources and citations
RIGHTS-BASED TOP 5

Air rights, telecom, billboards, parking, cloverleaf stacked revenue

5
Additional monetization opportunities
across five asset subtypes
$1.75M-$4.97M
Annual recurring revenue (combined)
Telecom + Billboards + Parking + Air rights lease + Cloverleaf pilot
$20.00M-$50.00M
Possible one-time air rights sale
County Building Complex, R01 Path A
Confidence: Medium-High anchored to filed public contract or recent transaction · Medium industry benchmark plus market estimate · Low directional only, pending parcel-specific analysis
RIGHTS-BASED ASSET OPPORTUNITIES

The four complementary monetization plays

Phase 1 of Putting Assets to Work named Rights-Based Assets as one of four asset types. Phase 2 surfaced five revenue paths in this bucket — air rights, telecom licensing, billboard licensing, surface parking licensing, and a cloverleaf interchange stacked-revenue pilot. Each is calibrated to public sources cited on the opportunity card and each complements an existing County workstream rather than overlapping with one. These are the new Rights-Based opportunities PAW is bringing forward.

Combined potential: $1.75M to $4.97M per year of recurring revenue, plus a possible $20.00M to $50.00M one-time air rights sale. Every revenue range is anchored to verifiable public sources cited on each opportunity card. R01 air rights carries a Low confidence rating pending parcel-specific zoning analysis.

R01RIGHTS
Rights-Based · Telecom Master Lease

Cook County Telecom Master Lease Agreement Program

Map example: Stroger Hospital (1969 W Ogden Ave). Other 9 prime sites listed in card body.
Rights-Based Assets Telecom licensing (rooftop antennas + non-ROW small cells) Confidence: Medium
RIGHTS-BASED
Annual revenue
$250K to $520K per year
Telecom licensing (rooftop antennas + non-ROW small cells).
Confidence notePer-site rooftop antenna rate ($25K-$50K/yr) supported by Chicago broker benchmarks. Small-cell pole licensing on County right-of-way is statutorily capped at $200/yr under the Illinois Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act — so small cells contribute meaningfully ONLY where mounted on non-ROW County structures.
Opportunity at a glance
A County-wide Master Lease Agreement program licensing rooftop antennas and structural capacity at 10 high-value Cook County facilities to wireless carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, DISH) and tower companies (American Tower, Crown Castle, SBA). The 10 prime sites are Stroger Hospital, Provident Hospital, JTDC, six active courthouses (Skokie, Markham, Bridgeview, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Domestic Violence), the County Building Complex, and Illinois Medical District facilities. No existing County-wide telecom MLA was found in the audit.
What this could look like
Negotiate a single County-wide Master Lease Agreement granting rooftop and structural access at the 10 prime sites. Layer small-cell licensing onto non-ROW County structures (rooftops, water towers, parapets) where the $200/yr ROW statute does not apply. Standard structure: 25-year term, 3 percent annual escalation, public-safety frequency carveout for County emergency communications.
Methodology and math
  • Per-site rooftop antenna rate: Chicago broker benchmark: $2,610-$4,950/month = $31K-$59K/yr per Chicago rooftop or water tower site.
  • Steel in the Air national range: $500-$1,500/month nationally — useful as conservative floor.
  • Crown Castle 2024 portfolio: ~2.5 tenants per tower, $6.36B annual site rental — confirms $15K-$25K average per tenant per site nationwide masks urban premiums.
  • IL small cell ROW cap: 50 ILCS 840 caps small cell pole licensing on right-of-way at $200/yr per pole. Permit fees: $650 first / $350 each additional / $1,000 new pole. This cap is binding for any County ROW siting.
  • Non-ROW small cell estimate: $1,000-$3,000/yr per location for County rooftop or water tower mounting (not subject to ROW cap).
  • Revenue calculation: 10 sites × $25K-$50K rooftop MLA = $250K-$500K/yr. Plus non-ROW small cells ~$0-$20K/yr. Combined: $250K-$520K/yr.
Sources
Open items for Phase 3
  • Per-site rooftop inventory: usable area, structural capacity, sight-line analysis at each of the 10 facilities
  • Existing-carrier-agreement audit at the hospitals (legacy installations may already encumber some sites)
  • Telecom broker engagement (Black Equities, Cellsite Solutions, Vertical Bridge) for MLA negotiation
  • IL DOTH coordination on small-cell siting program limited to non-ROW County structures
  • Community engagement plan for neighborhoods near each candidate site
R02RIGHTS
Rights-Based · Billboard Licensing

DOTH Right-of-Way Billboard Licensing Pilot

I-57 / 159th St cloverleaf cluster (Markham / Bremen Twp / Oak Forest / Country Club Hills) — 9 County-owned parcels totaling 25+ acres documented in the PAW Cloverleaf Options Memo.
Rights-Based Assets Billboard licensing on County right-of-way Confidence: Medium-High
RIGHTS-BASED
Annual revenue
$150K to $700K per yearEstimated
License revenue to the County as right-of-way landlord (no County capital). Pilot estimate from industry per-face benchmarks; anchored to the verified Chicago Expressway comp below.
Confidence noteAnchored to the publicly filed Chicago Expressway Digital Billboard contract (JCDecaux/Interstate, 2012-2032): 52 faces (60 LED panels on 34 structures originally), a 30 to 50 percent revenue share to the City, and a $154M guarantee over 20 years (about $7.7M/yr average; $15M in 2013), implying roughly $150K to $290K per face per year to the City on the guarantee. This is the strongest direct comp in the four Rights-Based opportunities. Verified June 2026.
Opportunity at a glance
Eight Cook County DOTH right-of-way fragments along expressway corridors flagged in sites.csv during earlier PAW analysis: 7418 W Gregory St (Jefferson Park), 5119 N Major Ave, 4501 N Avondale Ave, 7701 Van Buren St (Forest Park), 5345 N Avondale Ave, plus three unnamed. These are slivers of County-owned land adjacent to expressway or arterial ROW with high visibility but no current revenue use. IDOT regulates but does NOT lease billboards in Illinois, so County ROW is the only governmental landlord path in Cook County.
What this could look like
Package the County's portfolio of cloverleaf interchange parcels and 8 named highway-edge ROW fragments as a single RFP to outdoor advertising operators. The cloverleaf use case is the key — Cook County manages dozens of cloverleaf quadrants and interchange slivers that cannot support vertical development but have exceptional highway visibility. Lease structure: 10-15 year term, $20K-$60K per face per year for static billboards or $100K-$300K per face per year for expressway-adjacent digital displays. Conservative 5-site pilot at $30K average (all static) yields $150K/yr; aggressive 5-site mix (2 static plus 3 digital) yields $660K-$960K/yr. Standard structure includes annual escalator and revenue share above defined thresholds.
Methodology and math
  • Chicago Expressway anchor (verified, filed contract): JCDecaux/Interstate 2012-2032 contract, 52 faces (60 LED panels on 34 structures originally), 20-yr term, a 30 to 50 percent revenue share to the City, and $154M guaranteed over 20 years (about $7.7M/yr average; $15M in 2013). Implies roughly $150K to $290K per face per year to the City on the guarantee. Verified June 2026 against JCDecaux press releases and Billboard Insider.
  • Network financial viability: JCDecaux bought out Interstate's 50 percent in Sept 2022, confirming network economics.
  • Industry static rate: Static billboard leases in Cook County market: $20K-$60K per face per year (industry benchmark, no Cook-County-filed comp).
  • Digital rate revised upward: Anchored to Chicago Expressway floor: $100K-$300K per face per year for expressway-adjacent digital. Was $80K-$200K — research showed this was conservative.
  • IDOT context: IDOT does not own or lease billboard structures, only regulates ~19,000 permitted signs along controlled IL routes. No state-level lease competition.
  • Revenue calculation: Conservative pilot 5 static sites × $30K avg = $150K/yr. Aggressive mix 2 static × $30K + 3 digital × $150K = $510K/yr. Upper end if expressway-adjacent digital realized = $700K/yr.
Sources
Open items for Phase 3
  • Per-site zoning and IL Highway Advertising Control Act compliance review
  • Visibility and traffic count analysis at each candidate (IDOT counts)
  • Outdoor advertising operator outreach (Clear Channel, Lamar, Outfront) to scope the RFP
  • Engineering for digital billboard electrical service at each candidate site
  • Municipality coordination (Chicago, Forest Park, Jefferson Park) on sign-code compliance
R03RIGHTS
Rights-Based · Cloverleaf Stacked Revenue

Cloverleaf Interchange Stacked-Revenue Pilot — Bremen blank slate, Leyden proof point

Pilot site (blank slate): Bremen I-57/159th cluster — 62 parcels / 57 acres of County-owned land including the cloverleaf interior plus an adjacent ring of residential and commercial parcels. Proof point: Leyden I-90/I-294 cluster — 36 parcels / 199.6 acres where the County has already activated select triangles for parking lots and small buildings.
Rights-Based Assets Layered stack: billboard + cell tower + solar + truck parking Confidence: Medium
CLOVERLEAF PILOT
Annual revenue per pilot parcel
$200K to $400K per year
3-acre parcel stack: ~$40K billboard + ~$45K cell tower + ~$80K solar canopy + $100K to $200K truck parking. Three to four streams, one approval cycle.
Confidence notePer-stream rates anchored to Lamar/Outfront/Clear Channel billboard rate cards, American Tower/Crown Castle/SBA cell tower MLA benchmarks, executed Cook County Constellation PPA (12-yr term, 24 MW, in service March 2025), and USDOT BUILD truck-parking grant precedent. Coverage gap flagged: Phase 1 dataset tags most cloverleaf parcels as Workforce Housing — interchange-loop geometry was not a recognized pattern. Recommended Regrid bulk-owner pull for "COOK COUNTY" within 500 ft of any interstate centerline likely surfaces 50+ additional parcels.
Opportunity at a glance
The opportunity is already proven — Leyden is the precedent. Cook County is not being asked to imagine what cloverleaf land could become. The Leyden cluster at the I-90 / I-294 interchange is 199.6 acres across 36 County-owned parcels (visible on the map in green) and the County has already activated select triangles within it. The northeast quadrant carries a commercial office park with structured parking; smaller pieces inside the interchange loops host single-story buildings and surface parking serving adjacent corporate users. What Leyden demonstrates: this geometry works. Cook County has already coordinated the entitlement, drainage, access easement, and use compatibility on cloverleaf-shaped parcels.

The pilot — Bremen blank slate. The Bremen I-57 / 159th cluster (visible on the map in purple) carries a property pattern Leyden does not: the County owns 62 parcels totaling 57 acres, including a ring of 13 residential and 2 to 3 commercial parcels immediately adjacent to the cloverleaf interior parcels. That contiguous ownership pattern unlocks options Leyden could not support — the cloverleaf interior hosts the Tier 1 stack while the adjacent residential ring becomes a strategic land-bank for the County. One pilot, one approval cycle, three forms of asset utilization.

Documented clusters across the broader inventory:
  • Leyden I-90 / I-294 — 36 parcels, 199.6 ac (proof point)
  • Bremen I-57 / 159th — 62 parcels, 57 ac (blank-slate pilot)
  • I-80 / I-94 Bishop Ford (Lansing) — 11.2 ac, 3 PINs
  • Dan Ryan / I-94 corridor (Chicago south) — 10.4 ac, 5 PINs
  • I-90 / I-190 (Rosemont) — 8.8 ac, 3 PINs
Combined documented inventory: 98+ parcels, 256+ acres. Full county-wide inventory likely exceeds 200 parcels.
Revenue framework by tier
Tier 1 (high $/ac, fast):
• Digital billboard (1-2 faces): $15K to $60K per face per year (Lamar, Outfront, Clear Channel; IDOT permit)
• Cell tower / 5G small-cell: $24K to $60K per tower per year (American Tower, Crown Castle, SBA)
• EV fast-charging at off-ramps: $20K to $50K per pad per year + rev share (Tesla, Electrify America, EVgo; NEVI funding)

Tier 2 (lower $/ac, durable):
• Ground-mount solar in loop interiors: $1,500 to $4,500 per acre per year + PPA savings (Constellation portfolio PPA template, executed)
• Truck parking / staging (I-57, I-80): $5 to $15 per truck per night, 25-40 stalls per acre (direct lease, USDOT BUILD grants)
• Snow / road salt staging IGA: modest fees, zero capex (municipal IGAs, contractors)

Tier 3 (opportunistic):
• Wetland or stormwater mitigation banking: $30K to $80K per acre over bank life (IDNR mitigation banking, per EASI MCPR)

Best play: stack tiers on one parcel. A 3-acre cloverleaf parcel hosting 1 digital billboard (~$40K) + 1 cell tower (~$45K) + 0.5 MW solar canopy over truck parking (~$80K via PPA) + ~80 truck-parking stalls at moderate utilization (~$100K to $200K) pencils to $250K to $400K per year. Three to four parallel revenue streams, one approval cycle.
Procurement and pathway
All seven uses are real-property licenses, leases, or intergovernmental agreements. Cook County Code Chapter 34, Article IV (Procurement Code) contains exemptions for real-property transactions and IGAs; exact sub-section pending counsel confirmation. Billboards and cell towers run under standard aggregator license templates. Solar fits the executed 12-year Constellation portfolio PPA (24 MW from Swift Current Energy's Double Black Diamond Solar, ~49,000 MWh/yr across 18 County buildings, in service March 2025). Truck parking and snow storage fit existing license precedent.
Recommended next steps
1. Pilot. Use PIN 28-22-404-004-0000 (3.81 ac, Oak Forest, I-57 cloverleaf, already flagged for ground-mount solar). Solicit one billboard operator + one cell tower aggregator + a Constellation PPA on the same parcel as a 3-stream RFI within 60 days.

2. Cluster RFP. If pilot pencils, bundle the remaining I-57 cluster (8 parcels / 21.3 ac) as a single license-portfolio competition.

3. Discovery. Run a Regrid bulk-owner pull for "COOK COUNTY" within 500 ft of any interstate centerline; full county-wide inventory likely exceeds 50 parcels.

4. Traffic count. Pull exact I-57 AADT from the IDOT Getting Around Illinois viewer before quoting traffic counts to billboard operators.
Sources and citations
R04RIGHTS
Rights-Based · Air Rights

Cook County Building Complex Air Rights

118 N Clark St / 121 N LaSalle St, Chicago IL 60602 (Loop)
Rights-Based Assets Air rights / FAR transfer Confidence: Low
RIGHTS-BASED
Annual revenue
$1.00M to $3.00M per year
Or $20.00M to $50.00M one-time air rights sale. Air rights / FAR transfer.
Confidence noteNo Chicago Loop air rights transactions with publicly-disclosed $/SF FAR exist in 2022-2026. Dollar values are directional, anchored to NYC TDR market discounted 70-85% for Chicago Loop office softness. Phase 3 verification requires parcel-specific zoning analysis to confirm the unbuilt FAR pool.
Opportunity at a glance
2.81-acre County Building Complex at Clark and Randolph in the Loop. 638,592 GSF existing County Building plus the adjacent Dunne Building. Zoned DX-16 (16 base FAR plus bonuses) per the Chicago Zoning Code. The County owns the underlying land and existing structures, but the unbuilt FAR rights above the buildings have never been monetized as a discrete asset.
What this could look like
Two paths. Path A: Sell the unbuilt FAR rights as transferable development rights to an adjacent downtown developer who needs additional FAR for a Loop project. One-time revenue $20M-$50M if the unbuilt FAR pool is 200K-500K SF and Chicago Loop FAR trades at $50-$100 per SF (NYC TDR comp of $300-$600/SF discounted 70-85% for Chicago Loop softness). Path B: Ground lease the air column to a developer for a vertical addition (residential or mixed-use tower above the existing structures). Annual ground lease revenue $1M-$3M over a 50-99 year term.
Methodology and math
  • Closest Chicago Loop comp: Macy's State Street → Brookfield, 2018: $30M for top 7 of 14 levels (~700,000 SF), implying ~$40-$45/SF of built shell space.
  • Recent Loop building purchase: ComEd 333 S LaSalle, 2025: $39.5M for 288,000 SF = $137/SF of built space.
  • NYC TDR benchmark: Manhattan air rights $300-$600/SF in prime locations.
  • Chicago Loop discount: Loop trades 70-85% below NYC because Loop office demand is softer. Applied discount yields $50-$100/SF Loop FAR estimate.
  • Loop zoning: DX-16 = 16 base FAR plus bonuses. 118 N Clark / 121 N LaSalle Site sits in DX-16. Unbuilt FAR = DX-16 cap minus 638,592 GSF existing — requires parcel-specific zoning analysis to confirm.
Sources
Open items for Phase 3
  • Title and parcel-specific FAR analysis: confirm the unbuilt FAR capacity at the County Building Complex versus the DX-16 zoning cap
  • Loop air rights broker engagement (CBRE, JLL, Cushman) for direct market sizing
  • Engineering scoping for Path B vertical addition feasibility (structural reinforcement)
  • Chicago Department of Planning and Development coordination on FAR transfer mechanics
  • Legal review of Cook County authority to sell or lease air rights as a discrete asset
METHODOLOGY

How every number was built

The shortlist logic, the valuation math, and the defensibility standard for the whole Atlas, in one place.

METHODOLOGY

How we built the priority shortlist

Every parcel in the County's asset universe was carried through a six-layer screen. The sites that remain are the ones that cleared all six layers.

Layer 1 / Visual verification
Each candidate parcel was walked on aerial imagery and reviewed in context. Highway slivers, operational facilities, and elongated shape false-positives were ruled out before scoring. This is the most basic gate and it caught the largest share of false candidates.
Layer 2 / Building Footprints 2022 overlay
1.96 million building polygons from the Cook County 2022 dataset, intersected with parcel boundaries. Calculates a structure share per parcel. Catches operational facilities that look vacant from a single data source but show active buildings in the footprint layer. Quantifies cleared remainder land for campus-scale sites.
Layer 3 / DREM cross-reference
Every parcel checked against the Department of Real Estate Management facility list by PIN and by address alias. Catches sites where the County has an active operational program that does not show up in the visual or structure-share gates. Five sites moved from the redevelopment list to the workstream list after this check.
Layer 4 / Cook County DOTH Right-of-Way overlay
Parcels with high overlap with DOTH-mapped highway right-of-way are automatically disqualified as redevelopment candidates. Note that IDOT-controlled highways (Bishop Ford, the Tri-State, the Stevenson) are not in the DOTH layer; those interchange slivers were caught at the visual verification step instead.
Layer 5 / Decision 3.7.1 valuation with market cross-reference
Ground value derived from the Cook County Assessor commercial valuation comps for townships in the current triennial cycle. For sites outside the cycle, market sources (LandSearch, LoopNet, Crexi, IMD listings, City of Chicago press releases) provide the comparable range, with ground value backed out from improved-value comps at a 15 to 25 percent discount. FEMA flood-zone verification applied where material.
Layer 6 / Revenue Resiliency 5-criterion scoring
The Cook County Revenue Resiliency Initiative scoring framework: Financial Impact (35 percent), Operational Feasibility (25 percent), Policy Roadmap Alignment (20 percent), Risk inverse (15 percent), Time to Benefit (5 percent). Each site scored 1, 3, or 5 on each criterion. Composite score ranges from 1.70 to 4.20 across the ten priority sites.
ENERGY METHODOLOGY

How every number was built

Each opportunity above has a per-site card with sources cited. Standalone workbook with full audit trail available separately. Every multiplier traces to an active public source.

Solar capacity — Skokie back-calibration
Cook County's own Skokie Courthouse project (1.56 MW, completed April 2026, Ameresco EPC) reports $226K annual avoided cost on 1,820,160 kWh of production. That back-calibrates to $0.124 per kWh and $144.83 per kW DC per year. Used as the avoided-cost multiplier across all sites.

Canopy density: 200-300 kW per acre (IL industry benchmark for lots with drive aisles, light poles, ADA spaces).
Annual production factor: 1,168 kWh per kW per year (4.0 peak sun hours × 365 days × 80% system efficiency, NREL PVWatts default for Cook County).
Module count: kW DC ÷ 0.4 kW per module (400W modules are the 2025-26 industry standard for utility / commercial deployments).
Ground lease — IL public benchmarks
Illinois utility-scale ground-mount solar lease comps: $700 to $2,000 per acre per year. Community solar (Illinois Shines): $3,000 to $4,000 per acre per year. PAW applies $5,000 per acre per year for active-facility canopy (premium for foot traffic and visibility) and $1,500 per acre per year for vacant-land ground-mount (IL utility-scale midpoint). Annual escalator 2.0%. Lease term 12 years (Cook County revealed preference from Constellation / Swift Current PPA).
EV revenue — port count and operator split
Per-port revenue: L2 $3,000 to $4,500 per port per year (Solidstudio commercial L2 net per port). DCFC $25,000 to $35,000 per port per year (Paren US Q1 2026 + EVgo Q4 2025 disclosures, moderate utilization).

Port mix is site-specific per the saturation audit. Saturated markets drop DCFC count (e.g., Skokie pivots to L2-only because Electrify America 350 kW is across the street). Highway interchange sites tilt DCFC (Lansing Torrence).

Host-operator split: 30% to County host / 70% to operator (typical EVgo / ChargePoint commercial terms). NEVI grant offset covers 70-90% of EV capex per port (IL Round 1 $139K/port, Round 2 $110K/port).
SREC treatment — assumed typical PPA structure
Under typical PPA structure, the developer captures Illinois SRECs in exchange for offering the County a lower PPA rate. IL Shines 2025-26 SREC value: ~$75 per MWh (small distributed generation, northern Illinois ComEd zone). PAW does NOT add SREC revenue to County totals; it is captured by the developer per the standard structure.
Confidence ratings
High confidence: Number anchored to County PVWatts assessment, active contract data, or executed project precedent.
Medium confidence: Number anchored to industry benchmark plus site-specific estimate.
Low confidence: Placeholder pending County or Phase 3 verification.
RIGHTS-BASED METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW

Defensibility summary

Each opportunity card has its own methodology section with explicit math derivation and source citations. The summary below positions the four opportunities by defensibility.

Opportunity Confidence Strongest anchor
R01 Air RightsLowNo Chicago Loop FAR-priced transaction. NYC TDR comp ($300-$600/SF) discounted 70-85 percent for Chicago Loop. Phase 3: parcel-specific zoning analysis needed.
R02 Telecom MLAMediumChicago broker benchmark $31K-$59K/yr per rooftop site. IL statute caps ROW small cell at $200/yr — small cells revised downward.
R03 BillboardsMedium-HighChicago Expressway Digital contract (filed): $10M/yr floor across 60+ faces. Strongest anchor across all four.
R04 ParkingMediumIndustry benchmark per-space and operator-host split. No Cook-County-specific concession comp found.
R05 Cloverleaf Stacked RevenueMediumPAW Cloverleaf Options Memo (May 2026). Per-stream rates anchored to Lamar/Outfront/Clear Channel billboard cards, American Tower/Crown Castle MLA benchmarks, executed Cook County Constellation PPA, USDOT BUILD grant precedent. Density validated against LBNL utility-scale ground-mount benchmark (100-200 kW/ac).

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