Governor JB Pritzker and Senator Michael E. Hastings Announce Next Step in Sale of Former Howe Development and Tinley Park Mental Health Centers

Governor JB Pritzker and Senator Michael E. Hastings today announced an important step forward in the future sale of the former Howe Development Center and Tinley Park Mental Health Center property. The State of Illinois will secure the third and final appraisal needed by law to offer the vacant, surplus property for sale.

The State of Illinois works to balance the needs of all properties in order to best serve Illinoisans and maximize expenditures of taxpayer dollars and has been working with local stakeholders to sell this property for nearly seven years. Under the leadership of Governor Pritzker, the State will now move forward to finalize this important step to determine the appropriate fair market value to responsibly manage this portfolio and give new life to this property.

“After delays spanning several administrations, I’m glad that we are moving forward today to give
new life to this property and bring much-needed economic development to the area,” said Governor
JB Pritzker. “Tinley Park has a bright future, and we’re proud to partner with local stakeholders to revitalize communities across the state.”

According to the State Property Control Act [35 ILCS 605], the State can offer surplus properties to a local body of government for fair market value. Conveyances below market value are not
currently allowed by law; therefore, the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) cannot
evaluate variables like maintenance cost and other aspects of risk mitigation as the basis for
establishing an appropriate price at market.

“The governor, local officials, and I all agree that economic development for our communities
should be our top priority,” said Sen. Michael Hastings. “That’s why I found a partner in the Pritzker administration as I worked with the Village of Tinley Park to jumpstart this important effort. The Village of Tinley Park should control their own destiny when it comes to the economic development of the property.”

The State of Illinois, through CMS, owns and manages the former Howe Development Center and
Tinley Park Mental Health Center property. Howe was closed in July of 2010, and Tinley was closed in July of 2012. The properties were deemed of no future use to the State and declared surplus in December 2012.

CMS continues to secure the property while evaluating options for the sale of the property. CMS
takes health and safety concerns very seriously and placed a lock-down on the property in early
November 2019 as a precautionary measure. CMS staff or CMS-approved visitors are only allowed
on the property with personal protective equipment (PPE).

In addition, CMS is working closely with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to
assess the conditions on site and properly address any findings. An inspection by IEPA in December 2019, did not identify any immediate threats to off-site properties