Chicago leaders set to vote on downtown development plan Central Area Plan 2045

Thursday, November 20, 2025
CHICAGO (WLS) -- City leaders are set to vote Thursday on a downtown development plan.

It's designed to bring more business, transportation and entertainment over the next 20 years.



It's a project that's expected bring more than $43 billion in construction investment and development to downtown.

According to the proposal, the Central Area Plan 2045 will span across 7.4 square miles in downtown Chicago, supporting what organizers say is the fastest growing downtown in the country.



This includes: creating more housing and entertainment options, a future CTA Madison Pink Line station on the Near West Side, a new office of nighttime engagement to energize Chicago after dark and repurposing vacant and underutilized sites downtown to accommodate more than 100 million square feet of new construction with the goal of creating over 50,000 new jobs.

The Central Area Plan 2045 will be heard Thursday afternoon during the Chicago Plan Commission meeting.
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