Large Medline development coming to Grayslake
A new large warehouse and office facility that is expected to create at least 250 new jobs will be the first development built on the long-delayed Cornerstone project planned for far southern Grayslake.
Grayslake village board members approved their portion of a $10 million property tax abatement incentive package over 15 years to help persuade Medline Industries to build on a portion of the 640-acre Cornerstone development.
The deal was helped along by Lake County Partners, a nonprofit tasked with increasing the vitality of the local economy. Lake County Partners President and CEO Kevin Considine said while Medline preferred to stay in Lake County, company officials looked at moving to Wisconsin or Indiana.
"This is a really big win, one of the biggest wins in Illinois in a while," Considine said. "It'll be a really big deal for Lake County and for Grayslake and the communities around it."
A Medline factory in Waukegan has drawn the ire of nearby residents and local lawmakers for expelling a cancer-causing gas called ethylene oxide. The new Grayslake location will not have an industrial component and nothing will be manufactured there, according to Grayslake assistant village manager Brett Kryska.
Medline spokeswoman Stacy Rubenstein said Medline has outgrown the current distribution facility in Libertyville.
"This was an opportunity to expand our footprint and meet our growing customer demand," Rubenstein said. She said she did not know what was to become of the Libertyville location after the move.
Considine said that by choosing Grayslake, Medline will keep the 250 Libertyville employees in Lake County as well as hire at least 250 more. He said Lake County Partners estimates the new operations will generate about $150 million a year for the local economy, both directly and indirectly. He said the construction project will also generate about $102 million for the local economy.
The 640-acre Cornerstone development was annexed into Grayslake just before the Great Recession. The developer, Atler Group, envisioned a mix of offices and research facilities, light industrial buildings, a substantial retail component, houses and entertainment areas when the plan was unveiled in 2009.
Considine said he hopes the Medline project will inspire further development of Cornerstone.
"In order to kick off a development like that you need something big, and big things like this don't come around that often," Considine said. "I'm real excited to help make it happen."
Under the incentive agreement, Medline will get a $10 million break on property taxes from the village as well as Freemont School District 79 and Mundelein High School District 120.