Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $3.3 Million to Provide Critical Infrastructure Improvements to Expand Industrial Site in Calumet City, Illinois, Opportunity Zone

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3.3 million grant to Calumet City, Illinois, to make road and water infrastructure improvements needed to support development at the city’s Riverside Drive Industrial Park. The EDA grant, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $844,475 in local funds and is expected to create more than 100 jobs, retain 65 jobs, and generate $13.5 million in private investment.

“The Trump Administration has prioritized rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure to facilitate job creation and strengthen our economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The infrastructure improvements made to Calumet City’s Riverside Drive Industrial Park will allow local businesses to expand operations, and the project’s location in an Opportunity Zone will fuel future job growth throughout the region.”

“Supporting our communities as they work to provide vital infrastructure for businesses is a top priority for EDA,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This investment will provide new roadway, water, and wastewater infrastructure to expand the Riverside Drive Industrial Park and the project’s location in an Opportunity Zone will stoke investment to diversify the local economy.”

“This federal investment will help Calumet City make important infrastructure improvements to create opportunities that drive economic development across the area,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth. “This funding will also help revitalize Calumet City, boost the local economy and create jobs. I’ll keep working to help secure additional investments that strengthen local economies across our state.”

“This grant will allow Calumet City to expand its Riverside Drive Industrial Park as it continues to reinvent its local economy for the 21st century,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02). “Improving infrastructure and fostering economic development in Calumet City, which has long been a central hub of the Chicago Southland, reinvigorates not only this city but dozens of surrounding municipalities.”

The funding announced today goes to one of Illinois’ 327 Opportunity Zones. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Opportunity Now resources webpage. To learn more about Opportunity Zone best practices, see the recently released White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Report (PDF) to President Trump.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.