Tribune Media’s North Branch site for sale

Tribune Media is looking to sell a large piece of land on the Chicago River, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. 

The 30 acres on the North Branch of the river, where the Chicago Tribune's Freedom Center printing plant is located, had been presented to Amazon when the retail giant was looking in 2017 for a spot to build a second headquarters. 

Tribune Media had gotten zoning approval in 2018 for a 8.5 million-square-foot project called River District at the North Branch site, Crain’s reported. Tribune Media could opt to keep the site and perhaps work with developers on it, Crain’s says.

A flyer on the site referenced an opportunity to draw from the Freedom Center as Tribune Publishing has a lease going until 2023 for the 828,000-square-foot printing plant, Crain’s said. There Tribune Publishing prints the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. The lease includes two options to extend the lease for 10 years each, Tribune Publishing executives have said, according to Crain’s.

Texas-based broadcast company Nexstar is currently buying Tribune Media.

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