Proposed West Dundee meat facility raises odor concerns

A meat processing facility proposed for West Dundee's Oakview Corporate Park is causing a stir among nearby residents, business owners and public officials.

Devanco Foods - a company that manufactures and packages Greek and Mediterranean food products - is hoping to consolidate and move to a 72,400-square-foot facility on a 7.5-acre lot along Wesemann Drive, Devanco President Peter Bartzis said.

The company, which distributes to restaurants nationwide, employs about 90 people and is operating from three separate buildings in Elk Grove Village. The new facility would allow for future expansion, Bartzis said.

A meat processing facility, however, is not a permitted use for the park, which is listed as a light industrial district, Community Development Director Tim Scott said. To allow the facility in the proposed space, the village would have to first approve a meat processing facility as a special use for that area. Then, village officials would have to separately grant Devanco a special use permit.

"I don't foresee any issues with us getting the special use (permit) issued," Bartzis said.

But the village received several questions and complaints from nearby businesses, such as Leafs Ice Centre, and residents, many of whom also spoke up at a public hearing last week, Scott said. Odor, traffic and waste were the issues most mentioned, he said.

For Village President Chris Nelson, those concerns are heightened by the proposed development's proximity to Dundee Middle School, he said.

"I'm not supportive of the concept," Nelson said, noting that his opinion is not reflective of the village board as a whole.

Nelson said he would prefer a "different type of development," such as an engineering company similar to Renishaw, Inc., on that parcel, which is the last available lot in Oakview Corporate Park.

At the time of the first public hearing, Devanco representatives had preliminary information at their disposal and were not able to address all concerns, Scott said. Should they wish to continue pursuing the corporate park as its new location, they would be asked to fully respond to the concerns at another public hearing, he said, noting that a date has not been set.

"There's apprehension to see the proposal advance without there being additional information," Scott said.

According to village documents, Devanco's financial analyst, Evan Bartzis, said in an email that Devanco ventilates out of the roof when cooking roast beef. Spices and herbs can be smelled from no more than 100 feet away from Devanco's current building, he said, but a new ventilation system would likely mask the smell.

Peter Bartzis added that nearby occupants will not be affected by any pollutants because "there aren't any." Waste will be managed inside and picked up by an outside company, he said, but waste will be minimal because Devanco typically purchases meat products that are already boxed and deboned.

But Nelson said concerned parties, especially the planning and zoning commission, need more details about how Devanco operates and how the proposed facility would impact the community.

Community Unit District 300 Spokesman Anthony McGinn said the district has submitted questions to the developers about how the facility would impact Dundee Middle School, though he declined to comment on the district's specific concerns.

"As with any proposed development within District 300 boundaries, we execute a protocol to ensure it would not adversely impact our students, our parents, our schools, our district operations," McGinn said in a statement.

Evan Bartzis also said Devanco would consider putting up a fence to "reassure students' safety at Dundee Middle School."

Michelle Bauer, a Gilberts resident, lives on Reston Lane in the Town Center subdivision that backs up to Oakview Corporate Park. Gilberts is less than one-third of a mile away from the proposed facility's site, Village Administrator Ray Keller said.

"We're all pretty discouraged ... that (the facility) would be so close to us," Bauer said.

If the village issues a special use permit, Peter Bartzis said he plans to begin construction by this spring so the facility could begin operating by the end of the year.

"We want to be an asset to the community by adding tax dollars, jobs and hopefully doing business with the neighborhood," Bartzis said. "We expect to be a good neighbor."