New truck traffic likely on Arlington Heights-Rolling Meadows border. So who pays road costs?

Rolling Meadows wants Arlington Heights to help pay for maintenance of a road that will be used by trucks going to and from a proposed distribution facility along the towns' border.

And while Arlington Heights officials say they're open to negotiations, that didn't affect trustees' vote to grant the project preliminary approval this week.

At issue is the segment of Meijer Drive leading to a private road that will serve the new 330,000-square-foot distribution building at 703-723 W. Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights.

Meijer Drive was constructed in 2002 to get to the new superstore from Algonquin Road. Though a portion of the drive is in Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows maintains it, under terms of an intergovernmental agreement. Arlington Heights would begin taking care of the road when a vacant piece of land fronting Algonquin Road is developed, the agreement says.

But Rolling Meadows officials came to the Arlington Heights village board meeting Monday night to ask the village to consider renegotiating the agreement, or at least share maintenance costs for Meijer Drive in light of anticipated increased truck traffic.

“Semitrailers both loaded and unloaded are going to impact significantly on Meijer Drive itself,” said Fred Vogt, Rolling Meadows' director of public works. “The road was built for truck traffic, but in its 16 years since the city of Rolling Meadows has been taking care of it, it has not seen anything like what this proposal on full build-out would cause.”

Arlington Heights officials said discussions with Rolling Meadows and the trucking facility — ultimately approved by the board on a 7-1 vote — were separate issues.

“It doesn't impact our decision — at least my vote on this particular proposal,” Mayor Tom Hayes said. “If, after we vote on this, Rolling Meadows can come forward with a significant justification for us to consider renegotiation, then I would be open to that.”

Hayes and other trustees said the truck facility is likely the “highest and best” use for the 15-acre property, bordered by the Jane Addams Tollway, Algonquin Road, Weber Packaging Solutions and other offices. Plans call for a vacant building on the north side of the site to be demolished and a 138,000-square-foot building constructed in its place this year.

Another building, which has a lease user until 2020, would eventually be demolished and a 192,000-square-foot addition to the first building would be constructed in its place.

In total, the building would have 66 truck docking bays and operate around the clock. The developer, Hamilton Partners, doesn't have any tenants lined up but predicts they will be able to secure anywhere from one to five tenants in the distribution and logistics industry.