Bensenville spends $11 million to fix roads, flooding

Bensenville is beginning a $12 million infrastructure project that aims to revitalize its northern business district, making the industrial area more attractive for new tenants.

Improvements to the industrial park, which sits northwest of Irving Park and York roads, will include street reconstruction, sanitary sewer upgrades, increased stormwater detention and improved stormwater drainage.

Village President Frank Soto said the area has been an issue for years, with potholes and major flooding that can damage companies’ products during bumpy transport from their facilities.

“How do you bring your essential clients to your shops and facilities when they flood and the roads are problematic?” Soto said. “The village has been patching, but it really needs a complete overhaul. If you want to bring back the tenant base, you have to fix those problems.”

The business district was built in the 1930s and ‘40s and hasn’t seen any type of improvement since, Soto said. When he took office in 2009, businesses were at an almost 50 percent vacancy rate.

So late year, Bensenville leaders created a tax increment financing district and special service areas, then borrowed $11 million in Build America Bonds to fund the project. The extra $1 million will come from a surplus created when Soto’s administration took office and implemented cost-cutting.

Business owners have been part of the planning process for construction, and they are being notified of road closures and other detours via email blasts, hand-delivered notices, the village website and open houses. Work should be complete by November, officials said.

Soto said this construction is just the first part of a long-range plan to create a “21st-century, vibrant business complex that caters to an international clientele.”

Bensenville also is upgrading building codes to more modern standards, assigning customer service staff to help new businesses open shop with time and cost efficiency, and creating a marketing plan to attract tenants to the park.

Bensenville earned a $1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to research airport-related businesses that are underserved.

“That’s where we start creating development opportunities,” Soto said. “We have the location, the proximity to the airport, connectivity to major roads and highways and the property is already industrial. Now we must create the environment to attract business.”

Officials believe the plan will ultimately enhance property values, generate new revenues and increase resident employment and lower the tax burden on homeowners.