FedEx is coming to Elgin

FedEx is absolutely, positively coming to Elgin, a city official confirmed Thursday.

That's the explanation behind the massive walls going up along Airport Road northeast of the Route 31 interchange along the Northwest Tollway, said Elgin Community Development Director Jerry Deering.

The center is now under construction and once it's up and running, large trucks will pull in to drop off packages, with workers separating those boxes into routes. Workers would then load them onto smaller trucks for delivery, Deering said.

FedEx representatives declined to discuss the Memphis-based company's Elgin venture.

"We can't comment on rumored or speculated development projects," spokeswoman Carla Boyd said.

FedEx longed to build the center in Gilberts at the southwest corner of Route 72 and Tyrell Road.

But the village board sent them packing in 2006 after residents complained of the truck traffic and noise pollution they feared FedEx would generate.

Neighbors also had issues with the proximity of the facility to homes on Tyrell Road, as well as its visibility.

Additionally, approving FedEx plans at that site would have required Gilberts to rezone property already zoned for offices and grant it a special use permit.

Such red tape did not exist in Elgin.

The Airport Road property, located near many industrial parks, was annexed, zoned and subdivided in the mid-1980s, Deering said. Streets and infrastructure are already present as a result, he said.

"The land was ready to go," Deering said.

The parcel south of the future FedEx distribution center is as hub of activity as well, with workers leveling soil on the 24-acre site.

The city has approved three more buildings for that area, one that will house a company that manufacturers auto paint supplies.

The other two businesses have yet to submit building permits, so officials don't know what type they are, Deering said.