Huge warehouse proposed for American Hotel Register site in Vernon Hills
An Atlanta-based developer is proposing to demolish and replace the former American Hotel Register buildings on Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills with an immense office/warehouse facility.
It would operate 24 hours and employ as many as 1,000 workers.
The proposal by Seefried Industrial Properties for 100 S. Milwaukee Ave., in the Continental Executive Park, is nicknamed Project Zeus, as no user is being identified. It calls for the two existing buildings to be cleared and replaced with a five-story structure on 71 acres east of the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex.
The building's footprint would be 649,653 square feet. The total size including all floors would be more than 2.9 million square feet, village documents show.
The operation is described as an automated facility that would receive products, store them in the warehouse and fill customer orders. When products are purchased, they would be delivered to another distribution facility in the company's system rather than directly to customers, according to a synopsis of the proposal.
The facility would be generally centered on the property about 250 feet north of a residential area. Trailer storage with a capacity of 320 stalls behind the building as well as 55 loading docks on the west and north sides is being proposed.
The proposal also calls for two truck guardhouses, two water tanks and a secondary right-in/right-out access drive to Milwaukee Avenue on the south part of the property.
The village board is scheduled to hear a concept presentation Tuesday during its committee of the whole session held after the regular meeting at 7 p.m., at village hall, 290 Evergreen Drive.
In Vernon Hills, it's common for developers of various projects to present ideas in this manner to determine whether there is an unofficial consensus among village officials to advance a plan for more detailed review.
Seefried will seek variances for height and building coverage and other potential zoning requirements, according to the village.
Vernon Hills recently has endorsed concepts for new industrial/warehouse buildings. But no single facility approaches the size of that being suggested by Seefried.
Seefried is a national company that has developed several large build-to-suit and speculative projects in the Chicago area. The company has a nondisclosure agreement with the client for the Vernon Hills proposal and is unable to comment, a spokesperson said.
American Hotel Register, which produced supplies for the hospitality industry, consolidated its Northbrook facilities and built a 276,563-square-foot headquarters in Vernon Hills in 1998. A similar-sized warehouse/distribution center also was built on the site.
The office building just west of busy Milwaukee Avenue was recognizable for an array of international flags flying outside the entrance that have been removed since.
American Hotel Register last year became a brand of Consolidated Hospitality Supplies, which was doing business at a different site in the village.