Glen Ellyn approves expanded Nicor facility

Residents who objected to a planned expansion of a Nicor facility in eastern Glen Ellyn left disappointed after the village board Monday gave the privately funded project the go-ahead, complete with signs neighbors say will drive down their homes' values.

With both Nicor officials and the neighbors in attendance, the Glen Ellyn village board approved several code variances that push forward a $23 million project to consolidate operations from the company's LaGrange Park and Aurora facilities into Glen Ellyn. The facility is located on Glen Ellyn's eastern edge, and is bounded on the north and east by Lombard.

Those plans include a large parking lot on the property's east side and a backlit sign installed about 31 feet up on the building.

Marilyn Goodwin, a 16-year Lombard resident who lives across the street from the facility, said the deal was done long before Monday's approval and the construction will do nothing but hurt property values.

“Everything that has happened has shown that this is a done deal,” she said. “You're ruining our neighborhood; you're flushing our neighborhood down the toilet.”

The project will increase the plant's footprint from 49,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet on the site, 90 N. Finley Road. The new facility will be home to a meter-testing site and warehouse, a two-story administration center and a garage for the company's fleet of vehicles.

Nicor officials had approached the village requesting several variances to signage and building codes, as well as others.

“They have gone to some great lengths to work with the community and the planners to make it a visually appealing project,” Nicor Attorney Jim Durkin said.

As part of the company's efforts to appease angry homeowners, Nicor provided photos taken from various angles of a similar backlit sign at its Des Plaines plant. Also, eight evergreen trees were added to the plans to help offset some of the illumination.

But that did little to satisfy the residents of Finley Place Condominiums, 1133 Finley Road, which sits directly across the street from the site within the Lombard boundaries. Resident Brad Stein said noise levels from the vehicle maintenance area of the warehouse would be a concern.

“We understand the business needs of Nicor, and we respect those needs,” said resident Brad Stein, who floated the idea of rotating the plans to position the parking lot further from Finley Road. “A simple rotation would move that back further from Finley and abate potential noise problems you may have.”