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German firm plans $320 million plant, 300 jobs in Des Plaines

Des Plaines residents voiced concerns Tuesday about a German pharmaceutical company's plans to build a $320 million manufacturing complex near their neighborhood on the west side of the city.

State officials this week announced they had reached an economic development agreement with Vetter to construct a production facility, automated warehouse, and a multiuse building with offices and lab space on the 17-acre former Salvation Army site at Mount Prospect and Algonquin roads.

The plant will bring more than 300 jobs to the city and fill a large vacant property at a highly visible intersection, state and city officials say.

“We believe this project is a win-win situation for the residents of Des Plaines and our company,” said Oliver Albrecht, managing director of Vetter. However, city residents living near the property filled city council chambers Tuesday to ask questions and express reservations about the plan, which still needs Des Plaines aldermen's approval. One of their chief concerns was how the facility would impact traffic in the area.

“I used to work at Sam's Club, and I couldn't take a left-hand turn there because everyone at the Salvation Army was turning right out of the parking lot,” said Paulette Mertes, a Des Plaines resident. “The road is one lane. So I'd have to go down and turn all the way around and it was just ridiculous.”

Mertes said she's lived in Des Plaines for 22 years, but after hearing of Vetter's plans, she's considering moving.

“I don't want this to happen,” she said. “I think it's going to be an eyesore.”

Those supporting and working on the Vetter proposal say residents' concerns are unfounded.

Michael Werthman, traffic engineer for the project, said there are plans in place to extend the left turn lane into the facility, which would allow four or five more cars to fit in that lane and reduce the possibility of backups for through traffic.

“We're not really adding any more traffic than there was before (with the Salvation Army employees),” Werthman said.

Senior project manager Tom Kitka said there would be a road wrapping around the property for emergency uses only, and daytime parking would go along the south side of the site. There would be six truck bays on the east side of the building.

Access from Algonquin Road would be strictly for cars, Kitka said, while trucks could only enter from the light on Mount Prospect Road.

Jason Cooper, a landscape architect, said the proposal calls for a layering of a diverse mix of shade trees, evergreens and shrubs on the property, including more than 800 trees and shrubs along the perimeter.

Under Vetter's plan, six new buildings would be construction on the site, the tallest standing six stories, or about 91 feet tall. The building closest to residential areas would be designed with “steps” to make the height look smaller, officials said.

The company would not break ground until 2018, and the facilities wouldn't be fully operational until 2022 or 2023, said Troy Carpenter, vice president of Vetter USA.

Des Plaines City Manager Mike Bartholomew said the city has considered several potential uses for the site since the Salvation Army moved out about a year ago, including a distribution plant for meat products, a city complex, a new police station, a “spec building” and a garage for the Pace suburban bus system. But Vetter, he said, was a contender early on.

The Ravensburg, Germany-based company provides manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical industry such as prefilled syringe systems, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. The company also has a production facility and sales office in Skokie.

State commerce officials did not disclose the details of the economic development agreement they've reached with Vetter.

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