Buffalo Grove drawing more jobs, planners say

Buffalo Grove is becoming less of a bedroom community and more of an employment center, the village's community development director told village trustees this week.

"That was exciting for me, because I think that's something we haven't embraced in the past," said Community Development Director Christopher Stilling.

Manufacturing provides about one out of every five jobs, according to a market assessment conducted for the Economic Development Strategic Plan Steering Committee. The village is especially muscular in advanced manufacturing, with approximately 40 percent of the manufacturing firms classified as pharmacy/medical supply, computer/electronics and machinery.

Village Planner Nicole Woods said that manufacturing jobs tend to pay well - employees earned an average of $120,000 in 2014, 40 percent higher than the average annual earnings of workers in Buffalo Grove. She added that each manufacturing job creates two to five jobs in related or unrelated industries.

The 2011 census shows of 17,159 jobs in the village; 3,278 were in manufacturing.

The report did reveal some challenges. Only 41 businesses completed a survey, despite the village sending out 800 postcards, as well as an email blast by the local chamber.

Trustee Andrew Stein wondered about the validity, given the response rate. Woods said the findings were supplemented by input from the steering committee and interviews with key stakeholders.

Stilling said he has worked on three surveys in other communities, and a low response rate is common. "This has so far been the best response rate we have seen," he said. There was a broad range of representation among those responding. Still, he said, there will be other opportunities during the strategic planning process to dive deeper.

Stilling said one of the outcomes of the process is expected to be a program of better communication with businesses, including a newsletter.

"In their mind, the village has very little impact on their lives and in their operations," he said. "We want to show that we can help you a lot more than you may be aware of."

Another challenge indicated by the market assessment is a mismatch between jobs and housing. Industries and companies are in need of young, highly skilled professionals, but a large portion of them live in or closer to Chicago.

Stilling suggested that the village could incorporate the desire for entertainment and shopping experiences into development policies and land use planning.

Woods suggested the village could work on policies to diversify its housing stock, as well as ways to make the village more accessible.

"If they really want to live in Chicago, we want to make sure we're as accessible as possible" with Metra and Pace van pools that employers could use to transport workers from the Metra station, she said.