Why Wheaton College wants Wheaton, Glen Ellyn to adjust towns' boundary line

In a geographic quirk, the border between Wheaton and Glen Ellyn cuts through a brick building owned by Wheaton College about a mile east of its main campus.

The college purchased the property from Scripture Press Publications in 1997. The building, a one-story maze of offices and wings, is also known as the East Campus. Over the years, the college has used it for art studios, a maintenance workshop and warehouse storage. The building also served as a quarantine center for students with COVID-19.

More recently, Wheaton officials have had preliminary discussions with two entities interested in redeveloping the College Avenue property into housing.

But about 70% of the site falls in a flood plain. Complicating matters further, four of the nine parcels that make up the old Scripture Press property are within Glen Ellyn, and the other five are in Wheaton.

At the college's request, the two towns are working on a potential boundary agreement that would have the four parcels disconnected from the village of Glen Ellyn and then annexed into the city of Wheaton.

The property is currently tax-exempt. Under the proposed terms of a possible 20-year agreement, Glen Ellyn would receive one-third of any future municipal property tax revenue from the site based on Wheaton's annual tax rate.

"Now that may or may not happen, depending on what the college decides to do with the property," Wheaton City Manager Mike Dzugan said. There have been "some discussions with a couple of individuals looking to redevelop" and purchase the property from the college. "That hasn't been decided yet," Dzugan added.

Wheaton College spokesman Joseph Moore declined to answer questions about the school's plans for the land. The parcels total 15.82 acres, DuPage County property records show.

Wheaton and Glen Ellyn officials say that college representatives have expressed a desire to have all nine parcels under one municipal jurisdiction. The school wants clarity for utilities, flood plain and stormwater regulations, zoning and permitting, municipal officials say.

"I think it's good for both Glen Ellyn and Wheaton," Glen Ellyn Village President Mark Senak said Wednesday. "It's really a reflection of the collaboration between Glen Ellyn and Wheaton to promote economic development. Consolidation of their property into one municipality, I think, we'll make it more attractive for development of the property because potential buyers won't have to deal with two municipalities on issues like zoning, or permitting or stormwater management."

The draft agreement also stipulates that redevelopment be "residential in nature or a use permitted by Wheaton's current institutional zoning district." Glen Ellyn trustees and the village engineer also would have to approve stormwater improvements for any redevelopment.

"However it's going to be redeveloped, they're going to have a significant challenge of managing the floodplain," Dzugan recently told city council members. "That's quite a bit of the property."

Glen Ellyn village board members discussed the proposed business terms of a boundary line agreement Tuesday night and are working to provide the feedback to Wheaton, Village Manager Mark Franz said.

To avoid border conflicts and shape growth, Wheaton and Glen Ellyn first adopted a planning boundary agreement in 1963. The last formal agreement expired in 2016.

Another proposed change would have two properties in Wheaton disconnect from the city and become part of Glen Ellyn. Those two properties serve as parking for the former Fresh Market shopping center along Roosevelt Road.

The annexation and deannexation process would require public hearings.