Ozingas’ underground development on Southeast Side may be dead due to mining ban

A rendering shows the entrance to a proposed massive underground commercial space along the Calumet River where a steel mill once operated. The project’s fate is uncertain as the city says a ban on mining would prohibit the development. (Provided)

A massive underground warehouse development proposed for a long-dormant piece of former steel mill land on the Southeast Side may be dead on arrival as City Hall officials signal that a ban on mining likely prohibits the project from being approved.

For more than two years, the Ozinga family, owners of the namesake concrete and materials business, has pushed the idea of a 6 million square foot commercial space below the surface that drops down 350 feet deep along the Calumet River near East 112th Street.