Galewood Puts Mars Site to a Vote: Community Group Launches Ballot Referendum Drive

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Galewood · March 7, 2026

Galewood's most consequential community debate is heading toward the ballot box. The Galewood Montclare Community Organization has launched a signature-gathering campaign to place a nonbinding referendum on the November 2026 ballot, aiming to give the broader neighborhood a direct say in the future of the former Mars Wrigley factory at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. It's a bold democratic move that could shape how developer McCaffery Interests — and Ald. Chris Taliaferro — proceed with the 20-acre landmark site.

The push comes on the heels of a community-drafted "campus-style" redevelopment plan that the organization unveiled last week, calling for a library, grocery store, restaurants, workforce development center, indoor youth recreation center, and a Mars history museum — with no housing. McCaffery Interests President Ed Woodbury signaled openness to the community's vision, saying the developer would "take the ideas that the Galewood and Montclare folks have for the development, and we will see if we can work them out in the plan." Ald. Taliaferro echoed that spirit of collaboration, stating he will support whichever plan the community rallies behind.

With a referendum on the horizon and all sides showing a new willingness to listen, Galewood residents now hold real leverage. Want your voice counted? Connect with the Galewood Montclare Community Organization to add your signature to the ballot petition — and help decide the future of Galewood's most historic site.

Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/03/whats-next-for-austins-mars-candy-factory-neighbors-weigh-development-proposals/
2. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/proposed-housing-marswrigley-factory-galewood/