Navistar move wins support from autism school
Plans for Navistar to relocate its world headquarters to the Alcatel-Lucent building in Lisle got a huge boost, with officials from a nearby school for autistic children giving up their opposition.
Navistar announced Monday that Giant Steps Illinois Inc. now endorses the revised plans of the engine-building giant.
Bridget O'Connor, executive director of Giant Steps Illinois, said Navistar's new proposal is "much more manageable and appropriate" for the area.
"They (Navistar officials) have been very sensitive to what our students are challenged by in the environment and then went back and really came up with a plan that allows us to certainly welcome them next door," O'Connor said. "We do feel like, at this point, we can safely move on. So we're thrilled."
Giant Steps initially fought the Navistar relocation amid concerns that the diesel engine testing and fuel storage would be disruptive to the school's autistic students, who are especially sensitive to sounds and smells.
Because of those objections, and those of nearby homeowners, Navistar redesigned the $100 million project, moving the engine-testing and fuel storage to the other side of its Warrenville Road campus, farther away from the school and residents. The company also scaled back the number of engine-testing "cells" and says it will operate them only during regular business hours.
"The original plan was just dramatically, dramatically different from the one that they've actually put up for proposal now," said O'Connor, adding that Giant Steps received "a written commitment" from Navistar that the company has no intention of modifying the revised plan if it gets approved by village of Lisle, DuPage Forest Preserve District and county board.
However, residents opposed to the project say they haven't seen any guarantee the controversial aspects of the original plan won't happen.
"Did they produce the proposal just to get everybody to approve it?" said Richard Wilkie, a resident who lives near the proposed site. "Then are they going to go back and change it at a later point in time?
"The residents are going to be here possibly longer than the school," Wilkie added. "So we need to make sure that it (extensive diesel testing) doesn't happen for as long as we live here."
A special hearing on the plan is set for April 17 before Lisle's planning and zoning commission. It's the first time village leaders have met with company officials since Navistar resubmitted design plans for the 88-acre parcel. The company wants the village to create a special taxing district at the site to reduce infrastructure improvement costs.
Almost 1,600 new jobs will be created if the move goes through, officials say. Navistar currently is headquartered in Warrenville and houses 1,500 employees, but the company is adding the 1,600 posts to the new headquarters. Company officials said the Lisle building has a capacity for more than 4,000 employees.
In the meantime, the forest preserve commission is scheduled to vote today on an intergovernmental agreement calling for the district to sell a 3-acre ring road on the north side of the property to the county and village for $1.5 million. The county and village would turn the road over to Navistar for promises of certain economic development initiatives.
On Monday, forest preserve Commissioner Mike Formento said the Giant Steps endorsement doesn't change his view that the intergovernmental agreement shouldn't be ratified until after certain conditions regarding safety and access are met. The forest preserve is expected to hire Woodridge-based Golder Associates to analyze Navistar's environmental impact study and compile a report of its findings so the commission can decide how to proceed with the road deal.
"There's a lot of unknowns that still have to be addressed," Formento said. "We should be the last to consider (the intergovernmental agreement) until we see what Lisle and DuPage County are going to do."