Sept. 23–Chicago’s push for a 1,200-room Marriott Marquis convention hotel near the planned DePaul arena moved into court Monday when the city filed an eminent domain lawsuit aimed at acquiring the property next to McCormick Place.
The lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court seeks land on East Cermak Road, between Michigan and Indiana Avenues, now owned by 121 E. Cermak LLC, an entity managed by construction executive James McHugh.
The action comes a week after McHugh sued the city, alleging it did not have the right to block his plans for a six-story electronic data center on the site.
The hotel is envisioned as part of a planned entertainment district anchored by a multiuse arena that would be home to DePaul University basketball.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns McCormick Place, still needs to acquire several parcels on the kitty-corner block envisioned for the arena and a 500-room boutique hotel. It has filed eminent domain lawsuits in its pursuit of two of those properties.
The authority does not have eminent domain jurisdiction over the McHugh site, so the city is pursuing it instead.
kbergen@tribune.com — twitter@kathy_bergen
