'They can put something else there': Warehouse plan in Palatine upsets some Schaumburg residents
A plan to build a warehouse with truck loading docks in Palatine is upsetting residents who live in condos and homes across the street in Schaumburg.
Chicago-based Logistics Property Co. wants to purchase 28.55 acres of green space south of Algonquin Road and west of Quentin Road to build an approximately 368,000-square-foot light-industrial building that could accommodate up to four tenants.
The Palatine plan commission recommended approval of the preliminary plan as long as Logistics follows 19 recommendations from the village staff, including for berms, lighting, trash container location and more.
The commission also "strongly suggested" that Logistics shrink the size of the building by one bay, or about 54 feet, to allow more space for landscaping that would shield the view from the homes across the street.
The land is a portion of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, which totals about 300 acres and was annexed to Palatine in September 2020. The warehouse would be built just east of the cemetery.
At the time of the annexation, no specific plans were discussed for the property, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Fifteen residents sent letters to the village of Palatine in opposition of the warehouse plan. Twelve opponents spoke at the plan commission meeting Tuesday.
"The traffic, the pollution is going to be tremendous. Come on. They can put something else there," said Schaumburg resident Iga Pycinska. "You don't have to put an industrial-size warehouse in front of our residential buildings. ... That's our lives."
Commissioner Robert Kolososki said he empathized with the residents, because at one point there was a plan to build a Walmart near his home. "I was literally scared to death. It didn't get passed, thank God," he said.
Logistics Senior Vice President Will Freve said his company's project would be high-quality and include buffers such as 8-foot evergreens along Algonquin Road, plus more landscaping and screen walls within the property.
The closest dock position would be more than 350 feet away from the condos at 522 E. Algonquin Road, located directly across the street from the warehouse.
"The project does not really represent a significant increase in the ambient noise in the area," Freve added.
A traffic study commissioned by Logistics shows the warehouse would increase local traffic by less than 2%, said traffic engineer Dan Brinkman of Gewalt Hamilton Associates in Vernon Hills. The study compared current data with "historic numbers" to take into account lower traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Freve also said the proposed warehouse building would be very different from manufacturer Nation Pizza and Food - located just to the east - which has rooftop chillers that stay on at night. The Logistics warehouse expects tenants with "relatively quiet operations," he said.
The Palatine village council will have final say on the plan.