Top 5 Industrial Projects Under Construction in Chicago

November 3, 2026

Development Chicago In Focus Industrial More Investment Listicles Midwest

Each of the metro’s five largest projects underway spans at least 1.2 million square feet.

Chicago’s industrial construction pipeline reached 17 million square feet as of August, representing 1.5 percent of stock, according to Yardi Matrix data. Nationally, 446.9 million square feet of industrial space was under construction, accounting for 2.1 percent of existing inventory.

Karis Center for Commerce – Building C is a 1.2 million-square-foot build-to-suit facility for RJW Logistics Group at Karis Park West in Montgomery, Ill. *Image by Field Executive Drew Gardner, courtesy of Karis*

Large-scale properties have become a bigger part of industrial development in 2026. Through August 2026, 49 projects exceeding 1 million square feet had broken ground nationwide, surpassing the 37 recorded during all of 2025 and the 30 in 2024. Projects exceeding 1 million square feet accounted for more than 32 percent of total construction starts by square footage, the highest share since 2020.

Chicago’s five largest projects reflect that trend, with logistics and distribution facilities joined by a major data center development among the metro’s biggest properties underway.

1. Elion Logistics Park 55 – 30961 South Elion Blvd.

At 1.5 million square feet, the facility at 30961 S. Elion Blvd. within Elion Logistics Park 55 is the largest development under construction among Chicago industrial properties. The Wilmington, Ill., facility broke ground in May 2026 and completion is expected in November 2027, according to Yardi Matrix data.

Elion Partners is developing the build-to-suit facility for Kimberly-Clark. The project is part of Elion Logistics Park 55, a 2,500-acre master-planned development with more than 30 million square feet planned. The Wilmington campus is also home to tenants including Amazon, Post Brands, Michelin, Wolf Products and Lineage.

The park has 2.5 miles of frontage along Interstate 55 and 2 miles along the BNSF mainline, with direct access to the railway. BNSF has also certified the site through its industrial site program, while the broader development includes rail-served acreage and is positioned near BNSF and Union Pacific intermodal facilities in Will County. The Kimberly-Clark project is among the large build-to-suit developments driving activity in the Interstate 80 Corridor.

2. Project Midwest

Project Midwest Dekalb — Project Midwest is taking shape on roughly 144 acres in DeKalb, less than 1 mile from Interstate 88 and near the city’s growing industrial and technology cluster. *Image courtesy of Mohr Capital*

Project Midwest comprises 1.3 million square feet at the northeast corner of Fairview Drive and Peace Road in DeKalb. Construction started in June 2026, with completion expected in June 2027, according to Yardi Matrix data.

Mohr Capital is developing the warehouse and distribution facility on roughly 144 acres. The tenant signed a 12-year lease, while Pepper Construction is serving as general contractor, Curran Architecture designed the project and CBRE is overseeing development.

The property is less than 1 mile from Interstate 88 and roughly 2 miles from DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. The surrounding area already has a significant industrial and technology presence, with 3M maintaining major distribution operations in DeKalb and Meta operating a $1 billion data center nearby. Mohr Capital also has experience with large-scale industrial developments elsewhere in the Midwest, including the 6 million-square-foot Mohr Logistics Park in Whiteland, Ind.

3. Mount Prospect Technology Campus – ORD1

Mount Prospect Technology Campus – ORD1 will total 1.3 million square feet at 1200 E. Algonquin Road in Mount Prospect. The data center project broke ground in March 2026 and is expected to come online in March 2027, according to Yardi Matrix data.

CloudHQ is developing the facility as the first phase of a data center campus on the former United Airlines headquarters site. In October 2025, the Village of Mount Prospect approved revised plans for two three-story buildings totaling approximately 2.2 million square feet, along with a second electrical substation and related infrastructure.

The first building will have a footprint of approximately 445,000 square feet and support up to 240 megawatts of data center capacity. The second facility is planned to comprise 872,000 square feet, with construction expected to begin in 2029. The broader redevelopment represents more than $2 billion in private investment.

CloudHQ describes the property as its first Chicagoland campus, with access to high-density fiber and carrier infrastructure. The 49-acre property is within the South Mount Prospect TIF District. The project is expected to generate between 225 and 450 permanent jobs and 900 to 1,000 temporary construction positions. The developer has also committed approximately $3 million toward public improvements.

4. Karis Center for Commerce – Building C

Karis Center for Commerce – Building C encompasses 1.2 million square feet in Montgomery, Ill., with completion expected in January 2027. Karis is developing the build-to-suit property for RJW Logistics Group, which signed a 10-year lease for the facility.

The Class A cross-dock building will feature 42-foot clear heights and rise on 73 acres within the 200-acre Karis Park West. RJW will be the second major occupier at the development, following a 500,000-square-foot facility for Ravago.

The lease is part of a broader expansion by Woodridge, Ill.-based RJW, which committed to roughly 6.7 million square feet of new Chicago-area industrial space over a 22-month period. The third-party logistics provider specializes in retail consolidation services for consumer-packaged-goods suppliers and currently operates 22 facilities encompassing 15.5 million square feet of warehouse capacity. RJW received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners in late 2024.

Karis Park West is positioned along the Orchard Road corridor between Interstate 88 and Route 30 and has access to BNSF rail. Site work at the development began in 2023, with annexation, zoning, utilities and other infrastructure put in place before the RJW lease was signed.

5. 2105 West 181st Ave.

A 1.2 million-square-foot build-to-suit warehouse and distribution center for John Deere rounds out the ranking. The facility is taking shape at 2105 W. 181st Ave. in the Lowell-Hebron area of northwest Indiana. Located near Interstate 65, the distribution center will support the company’s parts operations and is expected to create approximately 150 jobs.

The distribution center is intended to improve parts availability for John Deere customers across its agriculture, turf, construction, forestry and mining businesses. The project is also part of the company’s broader commitment to invest $20 billion in U.S. manufacturing over the next decade. Lamar Johnson Collaborative is serving as architect, Jacob & Hefner as civil engineer and Clayco as design builder, while CBRE represented John Deere in the site-selection process.

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