INVEST South/West breaks ground on its first project of the year in South Shore and brings a $100 million media campus to the area 

By: Markayle Tolliver 

South Shore, Chicago, IL |

This afternoon, Regal Mile Studios along with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Alderwoman Michelle Harris (8th ward), Jim Reynolds, LOOP Capital CEO, and the South Shore community breaks ground on its $100 million media campus just west of the 79th Street corridor. 

The Regal Mile Studios Campus 1 is a 380,000 SQFT, 7-acre enclosed media campus and sound stage development in South Shore, just west of the 79th Street INVEST South/West priority commercial corridor. After passing through City Council in the summer of 2021, the Regal Mile Studios is now ready to proceed forward with landscaping and other site prep work, before beginning heavier construction in earnest during the early springtime with the goal of Fall 2024 occupancy. 

While the South Shore neighborhood is evolving, it is a neighborhood with a challenging reputation. Loop Capital Real Estate Partners, an affiliate of Chicago based Loop Capital, is the sponsor of the privately funded project and supports Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative with a focus on new development on the South Side. 

“I want to applaud you [Mayor Lightfoot], it is the first time that I see an administration that puts a focus on investments on the South and West sides and make it a priority,” says Jim Reynolds, CEO of Loop Capital. “We want to give the youth role models to look at.” 

Through the Regal Mile Studios development, Loop Capital will expand educational opportunities and job readiness training programs for young people and equip them with the skills they need to thrive and succeed in the film and media industry. 

“…As well as create educational opportunities for public school students to learn more about and explore careers in television and production training…That means this project will not only set many of our young people up for success, but also enhance Chicago’s reputation as an incubator of film and media talent,” says, Mayor Lori Lightfoot.