Warrenville 4th Ward candidates debate city's economic development

The two candidates vying for Warrenville's 4th Ward seat have vastly different thoughts on plans for the city's economic development goals and how to achieve them.

One says the city needs to focus on increasing its population to draw larger commercial interest while the other believes investing in "small independent businesses" is the way to go.

Challenger Thomas Sherlock, a 56-year-old local business owner, told the Daily Herald editorial board he has seen no economic development growth in the 13 years he has lived in Warrenville and suggested the city has no developable land attractive to large retailers. He says he believes the city's only developable land to be along the Route 59 and Butterfield Road corridors.

"The challenge is that because we're landlocked by so much forest preserve land, the developable areas are few and far between," Sherlock said. "Expanding our residential base is a challenge even though the economic development plan says we need more rooftops to get corporate chains to come in. But we don't have enough density to follow their business models."

Incumbent Leah Goodman, a 34-year-old attorney, said she believes the city's economic development plan has been on point and successful in recent years.

"We have been very active in our economic development efforts as we work to develop areas of rather dense residential housing," Goodman said. "Our experts have told us dense residential development will attract the commercial developments people want, like walkable shopping and services for seniors."

Sherlock, however, said such planning is unrealistic.

"Warrenville, is a little gem, a diamond in the rough, so let's stop trying to be Naperville or Downers Grove. There's been lots of studies, consultants and plans, but I haven't seen anything going on in economic development in our town in 13 years," Sherlock said. "We have to create our own identity using small independent businesses to make our town more quaint. Unfortunately no commercial business is going to invest on Route 59 because it's all rundown strip malls."

Goodman said she agrees that available land may not be as plentiful as it once was, but she believes the city has made the most of the commercial developments already in place, including Cantera.

"I just don't get (Sherlock's) pessimism, I don't see that all," she said. "Warrenville has grown so much. The Target in Warrenville is the 10th busiest Target in the world. That's huge."

Warrenville's 4th Ward is bordered by Batavia Road on the south, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway on the west, portions of Route 59 and the West Branch of the DuPage River on the east and Penny Lane on the north.