Gotham Greens Building Second Greenhouse in Suburban Chicago
February 17, 2018 
Gotham Greens, the New York-based hydroponic grower of leafy greens, is planning to open a second greenhouse to grow its business in the Chicago market.
According to a report on Agritecture.com, the new $12.5 million, 105,000-square-foot greenhouse will be near the company’s first greenhouse on top of the Method soap factory in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. The expansion reflects both the company’s success in the Chicago market — through selling its products in chains including Jewel-Osco and Whole Foods Market — as well as the continued redevelopment of the Pullman neighborhood.
While Gotham’s first Pullman greenhouse was a rooftop structure, the second one will be free-standing.
Gotham Greens CEO Viraj Puri declined to give a timeline for the facility’s opening, saying the deal was still being finalized. The project could receive up to $3.35 million in tax increment financing assistance for site work on 6.2 acres, though that’s still subject to City Council approval. The existing zoning of the planned development would also need to be amended to allow for light manufacturing, according to the mayor’s office.
The new Gotham Greens greenhouse will employ about 60 workers.
In a statement, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel hailed the project.
“This expansion, on the heels of the opening of the new Whole Foods distribution center, the Method plant, and the many other projects in the area are creating jobs and helping Pullman reclaim its history as a thriving hub for innovation and manufacturing,” Emanuel said in the statement.
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