Elgin soon could be home to largest corrugated box factory in America
Elgin would become home to the largest corrugated manufacturing facility in America under plans for a new $30 million development situated in the Daching Business Park.
The city's Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed plans Monday night that call for construction of a 488,450-square-foot building for Atlantic Packaging at 2601 Mason Road. The company makes corrugated boards and boxes from recycled paper.
The commission members recommended approval of the plan with a 4-0 vote. The full city council must still vote on the project before construction of the facility could begin.
Charles Swanson, an architect for the project, said the facility would be one of the two largest facilities of its kind in North America. Atlantic Packaging is building a similar facility in Canada.
"At this time, as we know with the rise of e-commerce, it is a good business to be in," Swanson said.
The vacant 38-acre property sits at the southeast corner of Alft Lane and Mason Road. It would be the second building constructed in the business park, which was annexed to the city in 2014. The existing 307,840-square-foot building houses several warehousing and distribution companies.
The building would include 33 loading docks and have a 6-foot-high ornamental fence and landscaping to screen the truck parking areas from public view and adjacent properties. There is a golf driving range located to the north of the property, on the other side of the border the city shares with the Village of Gilberts.
This is the same location the city council approved for the construction of a Great Lakes Coca-Cola Bottling company facility in March 2020. City staff members said that project never moved forward because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the new plan is successful, there are already plans in place to add 102,825 square feet to the south side of the building and grow the number of parking spaces for trucks, trailers and other vehicles to 237 total spots.
In a departure from city code, Atlantic Packaging wants to build a silo on the west side of the building. It would be used for the storage of starch, which is part of the manufacturing process. It would be painted white to blend in with the building itself.