Huntley OKs plan for 730,000-square-foot warehouse near Sun City
The company developing an Amazon warehouse in Huntley is set to build an even larger facility on the south end of town, after the village board gave the go-ahead to the project Thursday.
The building, once completed, will sit close to the Sun City neighborhood, with houses located just to the north. As a result, a few residents have raised concerns about pollution, noise and lighting coming from the facility.
Conrad Barta, who lives near the development site, said at the village board meeting Thursday that construction in the area already is creating problems with noise.
"I understand the need for this building, which makes sense, but the consideration of the residents that live (close by) should be considered," he said.
Several village trustees said they believe developers had done a lot to help mitigate potential problems.
"I think you've done a very nice job meeting concerns of residents and our board," Village President Timothy Hoeft said.
Rosemont-based Venture One Real Estate will construct a nearly 730,000-square-foot building at the northwest corner of Route 47 and Jim Dhamer Drive. If built as proposed, it will be nearly 100,000 square feet larger than the Amazon warehouse on the other side of Route 47, which is about 630,000 square feet.
The Amazon warehouse also is being built by Venture One.
The proposal for the project originally came to the board in November, with trustees requesting a variety of changes, including a sound wall, a fence and shrubbery. All of these changes have been made to the project, according to the village.
"It's evident you've listened to what everybody has said," Trustee Mary Holzkopf said to the developers Thursday. "You've done everything you can to minimize any negative impact this project could have for residents."
After the concept review, the project then moved to the village's plan commission, where it was reviewed May 23. Further tweaks were made to address concerns brought up by residents at the meeting.
Resident Dick Tabatt said many of the changes benefited residents, but he is still concerned about who might occupy the space and what kind of oversight may be in place.
"We thank you all for having been so diligent in trying to help us solve the problems, but now it's time to see that they actually get enforced," Tabatt said.
Along with pollution, traffic and noise, lighting has also been a topic of interest throughout the approval process. The latest plan calls for LED lights for the truck areas, which will have shields to reduce the amount of light spilling into the neighborhood.
Fencing and trees are planned to help block off the site from the neighborhood. Hoeft pitched working with the future tenants to help reduce noise.
As part of the development, Venture One will contribute $200,000 toward improvements for Dhamer Drive, Director of Development Charles Nordman said during the meeting.
"We're very excited about this project," project representative Ryan Stoller said. "I think we've added some really good improvements ... that will not only be beneficial to the project, but to the community."