Despite concerns from some residents Glenview’s New Development Commission has signed off on plans for a second multi million dollar “LogistiCenter” to be built in the north suburb and now the proposal is headed to the Village Board for a final vote.
The New Development Commission on Oct. 11 voted unanimously in favor of rezoning the former CVS Caremark office building in the 2200 block of Sanders Road. The vote allows Nevada-based Dermody Properties to move one step closer to building the multimillion dollar “LogistiCenter,” its second one in Glenview. In 2021 Dermody Properties bought the 232-acre Allstate campus in Glenview for a reported $232 million and has since broken ground on a 10-building “Logistics Campus” on the site.
Now the company is asking for zoning relief from the village to move ahead on the new logistics center including rezoning the site to a I-2 light industrial district from I-1 limited commercial designation, a variance for a single-story height of 44.75 feet and tax incentives.
But some residents living near the site say they fear that trucks coming and going to the center will create exhaust pollution, increased traffic snarls as well as excessive light and noise pollution. They also said the village is turning its back on its own zoning regulations that have been in place for decades.
“There is no industrialization currently North of Willow Road,” longtime resident Jan Zorn told the commission. “I would ask the commission to really take that seriously into consideration and not allow industrialization North of Willow Road.”
She also said Dermody Properties has had months to prepare its reports and application for zoning relief but that many people living in the area have not had sufficient time to “rebut this material” or even received notice of the proposed development and zoning changes the company is seeking.
“Many notices sent out did not reach many residents in the area,” she said. “Things are moving very fast. To be fair we request this commission defer any decision until the objectors have had an adequate amount of time to present and full prepare in opposition.”
According to a project executive summary Dermody Properties filed with the village, the rapidly expanding industry of e-commerce is driving demand for modern logistics space.
Plan calls for one building designed to accommodate single or multi-tenant occupancy, the summary said. It also says the property is likely to be developed in 2024 after demolition of existing office buildings is completed in the first quarter of 2024 and that site construction will start in Spring 2024.
The Glenview Village Board is expected to cast a final vote on the zoning change request before the end of the year.
“I do believe … the proposed rezoning is generally consistent with the existing uses and zoning of the nearby property,” Commission member Samuel Ach said during the Oct. 11 meeting. “Our record shows that the area to the immediate East of the subject parcel is already zoned I 2.”
And Commission member Glen Tracy said he believes that whatever new development is built on the site it will generate less traffic than was generated when CVS was open there.
“This is going to be something and it is going to generate traffic,” he said. “If you don’t want traffic in Glenview move out to Huntley.”
Neal Driscoll, Midwest Region Partner for Dermody Properties, told the commission the company has increased landscaping, traffic signage and made other changes to its original plans to address residents’ concerns.
“This site is very well situated for its intended redevelopment use of industrial,” he said.
But Northbrook resident Karen Jump told the commission said she has lived in the area for 34 years and that the zoning changes could impact the lives of more residents in nearby Northbrook than those living in Glenview.
“I have many friends in Glenview who had no idea this was happening,” she said. “Please don’t continue to drastically change the character of this neighborhood, putting our health safety, property values and the environment at risk.”
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Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.