DuPage Co. board chief gives up fight over tech park

DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom gave up the fight Tuesday to salvage his vision of developing a long-vacant technology park near the DuPage Airport.

But he went down swinging.

Schillerstrom has been embroiled in a growing public spat with the airport board that has final say on the development of the 800-acre parcel just south of the airport property in West Chicago. Schillerstrom attacked the airport board and Chairman Dan Goodwin while ceding the property's future.

"This was, and should always have been, a policy dispute and not the personal attacks Mr. Goodwin has turned it into," Schillerstrom said. "Unfortunately, Mr. Goodwin brought a gun to a policy discussion."

Goodwin and the airport board want to relax development restrictions on the 450 buildable acres at the site to attract more potential tenants. Schillerstrom, on the other hand, wanted the airport board to lower the asking price and give control of development deals to the tech park board.

The airport board complained that under Schillerstrom's plan, no one would be accountable. Schillerstrom denied the tech board wouldn't be held accountable and accused the airport board of marketing the tech park property at a price that would recoup a $34 million state grant that was spent on infrastructure in an attempt to lure businesses there.

Goodwin called for the tech board to be disbanded since its original purpose of overseeing expenditure of the state grant was complete. Monday, several members of the tech park board petitioned to do just that, saying they couldn't be effective given the relationship with the airport board. Schillerstrom gave his blessing Tuesday for the board to be dissolved.

"Nonelected officials have killed their work. That idea should be disturbing to each and every one of you," he said at Tuesday's county board meeting. "We now have appointed officials effectively vetoing long-held county economic policy. That's the tail wagging the dog."

In recent weeks Goodwin has wrangled a number of current lawmakers and former legislators to speak in favor of the airport board's proposal.

"Over the last few weeks, DuPage County has had a healthy, vibrant debate about the most appropriate future for the publicly owned land known as the DuPage National Technology Park," Goodwin said. "A chorus of authorities said our community should move forward with a general business park to create jobs and boost the local economy."

State Sen. Kirk Dillard said he would ask the state's auditor to look into how the grant money was spent. Officials from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have come out in favor of relaxing the development regulations, even though that agency awarded the grant for a technology park.

"Our primary concern is ensuring the state is receiving the greatest return on its investment and the best way to do this is to run the scope of the park beyond its current focus to include other general industrial uses," said Marcelyn Love, a commerce department spokeswoman.

Schillerstrom said Goodwin, who heads Inland Real Estate Group, a multi-billion-dollar commercial real estate firm based in Oak Brook, bought this political victory.

"Mr. Goodwin and his money picked off tech park supporters one by one," Schillerstrom said. "Simply put, we cannot compete with a rich man who will do or say anything to win."

It could be several weeks before the airport board can begin marketing the property for a wider use. Airport board members said the tech park board has to be officially dissolved and then new zoning regulations have to be approved by the city of West Chicago.