Goose Island Office & Commercial Space

Chicago’s unique industrial island in the North Branch of the Chicago River, where converted warehouses, production facilities, and emerging creative space create a distinctive commercial environment. Industrial heritage meets creative economy in this compact, accessible district.

Schedule Free Consultation Call (312) 840-9002
160Acre Island
Goose IslandBeer Heritage
IndustrialZoning Protected
$14-28Per SF Industrial

Goose Island: Chicago’s Industrial Island Reinvented

The Character: Goose Island is a 160-acre man-made island created in the 1850s when the North Branch Canal was dug parallel to the Chicago River. For over a century, it served heavy manufacturing—steel, tanneries, and industrial production. Today, the island retains industrial character while transitioning toward food production, creative businesses, and urban manufacturing. The Goose Island Brewery (now owned by AB InBev) put the island on the craft beer map, though the original brewery has relocated.

Commercial Space Options: Goose Island specializes in industrial and flex space—warehouses, production facilities, and converted spaces serving manufacturing, distribution, food production, and creative businesses. Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) zoning protects industrial uses and limits residential development, preserving the island’s commercial character. Office space tends toward industrial creative configurations rather than traditional commercial environments.

Why Businesses Choose Goose Island: Businesses requiring industrial infrastructure—loading docks, clear heights, freight access, specialized power—find functional space on Goose Island. Food producers benefit from commissary facilities and distribution infrastructure. Creative businesses seeking authentic industrial character access converted spaces at rates below River North or West Loop. The island’s compact size, central location, and PMD protection make it attractive for urban manufacturing and production uses increasingly rare in close-in Chicago locations.

Goose Island Industrial

Where Industrial Heritage Meets Urban Innovation

Goose Island’s creation in the 1850s established Chicago’s first planned industrial district. The island’s infrastructure—rail access, river frontage, and separation from residential areas—supported heavy manufacturing for over a century. Today, that infrastructure serves contemporary businesses requiring industrial capabilities in a central location.

The Planned Manufacturing District designation, established in the 1980s, limits residential development and protects industrial uses. This zoning prevents the residential conversion that transformed other industrial neighborhoods, preserving Goose Island for businesses that actually need industrial space.

Food production has become a major Goose Island use. Commissary kitchens, food manufacturers, and specialty producers benefit from the island’s infrastructure, zoning, and central location for distribution throughout the Chicago area. Several notable Chicago food companies operate on the island.

Creative businesses—architecture firms, design studios, production companies—occupy converted warehouse space seeking authentic industrial character at prices below River North or Fulton Market. The island’s isolation creates a focused work environment distinct from neighborhood commercial settings.

160 Acres
Island Size
PMD
Protected Zoning
Central
Location
$14-28/SF
Industrial Rent

Commercial Property Types on Goose Island

Industrial, production, and creative space on Chicago’s unique urban island

Industrial & Warehouse Space

Traditional industrial space with loading docks, clear heights, and heavy power. Suitable for manufacturing, distribution, and production requiring industrial infrastructure unavailable in office environments.

Drive-in and dock-high loading available.

$8-16/SF NNN

Food Production & Commissary

Commissary kitchens, food manufacturing space, and production facilities serve Chicago’s growing food industry. Appropriate infrastructure and zoning for food production uses.

Shared commissary and dedicated production options.

$14-28/SF annually

Creative Industrial Space

Converted warehouse space for creative businesses seeking industrial character—high ceilings, exposed structure, authentic materials. Architecture firms, design studios, and production companies find appropriate space.

Character space with flexible configurations.

$18-32/SF annually

Flex & Light Industrial

Flexible space combining office and industrial uses. Suitable for businesses requiring both administrative space and production or warehouse capabilities in single facilities.

Various configurations with office buildout.

$12-24/SF annually

Brewery & Beverage Production

Space suited for beverage production continuing Goose Island’s brewing heritage. Appropriate zoning, infrastructure, and utilities for brewery, distillery, and beverage manufacturing.

Production and taproom configurations available.

$14-26/SF annually

Urban Manufacturing

Production space for contemporary urban manufacturing—3D printing, prototyping, specialty fabrication, and small-batch production. Central location supports rapid prototyping and urban supply chains.

Power, ventilation, and infrastructure for production.

$10-20/SF NNN

Goose Island Commercial Real Estate FAQ

What does PMD zoning mean for tenants?
Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) zoning protects Goose Island for industrial and production uses by limiting residential development and certain commercial uses. For industrial tenants, this means stable industrial character without residential conversion pressure that has transformed other neighborhoods. The zoning supports manufacturing, production, distribution, and related uses while restricting purely retail or residential development. Businesses requiring long-term industrial space benefit from PMD protection ensuring the neighborhood retains appropriate character.
How accessible is Goose Island?
Goose Island’s central location provides good vehicular access despite its island geography. Halsted Street and the Division Street bridge connect to surrounding neighborhoods and expressways. The island lacks direct CTA rail access—the nearest stations are Chicago/Clybourn on the Red Line and Chicago on the Blue Line, both requiring short bus rides or walks. For businesses where employees drive or for operations involving freight and delivery, the island works well. Transit-dependent employees face more limited options than downtown or L-adjacent locations.
Is office space available on Goose Island?
Traditional office space is limited—PMD zoning prioritizes industrial and production uses. Available office tends toward creative industrial configurations in converted warehouse buildings rather than typical commercial office space. Businesses seeking standard office environments should consider adjacent neighborhoods like River North or Lincoln Park. Those seeking industrial character, creative space with authentic materials, or combined office-industrial facilities can find appropriate options on Goose Island at competitive rates.
How does Goose Island compare to Fulton Market for food businesses?
Goose Island offers more functional, less expensive space than Fulton Market for actual food production. Fulton Market has evolved toward restaurants, offices, and residential with limited remaining production space at premium prices. Goose Island’s PMD zoning preserves production capability and keeps rents lower. Food producers needing commissary space, manufacturing facilities, or distribution operations find more practical options on Goose Island. Restaurants and food retail seeking customer-facing locations may prefer Fulton Market’s foot traffic despite higher costs.

Find Your Goose Island Commercial Space

Expert tenant representation for industrial, production, and creative businesses—at no cost to you.

Schedule Free Consultation Call (312) 840-9002