If necessity is the mother of invention, 600 trucks are the motivation of a movement.
When our Homeowners Association Board elected Barb to be their President (full transparency–I am proud to be First Gentleman) she knew the heat would be on this summer. A total renovation of the streets of our 300+ home subdivision was on the schedule, a project made more difficult and expensive by rises in both asphalt costs and interest rates. Barb girded herself for whatever flack would come. What no one in the subdivision yet knew was that the real challenge was around the corner, or more literally, right across the street.
We were stunned when word first leaked out that Baxter International was planning on selling its corporate headquarters campus, over 100 acres in unincorporated Lake County, to an industrial company with the intent of annexing the land to Deerfield and constructing over a million sq feet of warehouse space. Located immediately to the east of our Riverwoods subdivision, the warehouse development promised to bring us noise, air pollution, and a minimum of 600 trucks a day that would share the same stoplight that is the sole access to our homes.
It took less than two days for our community to jump into opposition action. A land use attorney was identified and hired virtually overnight. Unofficial committees were formed to create and disseminate an online petition, print and distribute lawn signs, and contact local media. A Facebook Group blossomed. Successfully persuading Riverwoods to stand with us required meetings with the Mayor, Trustees, and the village attorney. Our kitchen island became buried in Barb’s notes as she and several key players coordinated the effort.
As the effort plowed forward, well-meaning friends advised Barb to resign as President to avoid any personal liability. Others advised us that this was a “done deal,” and the community might as well give up. No one in our subdivision was buying that!
A first public hearing before the Deerfield Planning Commission was postponed when the masses of residents of Deerfield and Riverwoods in attendance overwhelmed the Village Hall facilities. A raucous crowd showed up for the rescheduled meeting in the Deerfield High School gymnasium. The presentation by the industrial company underwhelmed the residents, and perhaps the Planning Commission members as well.
In anticipation of our opportunity to present to the Planning Commission, our attorney and his team of expert consultants prepared outstanding position papers on the irresponsibility of placing a massive warehouse center adjacent to residential housing, a house of worship, daycare centers, and a center for persons with developmental disabilities. Legislation from California and New Jersey, two states that have codified appropriate placement of warehouse facilities, was heavily referenced to support our position.
Yesterday, one day prior to the scheduled meeting at which our team would be presenting, the industrial company withdrew its request for Deerfield to annex the site. A round-one victory for our side.
The final determination of what happens on the Baxter site may be months away. We hope a more creative use can be found for the acreage, possibly preserving the historically significant current structures.
In the meantime, our neighbors will attempt to push both Lake County and the Illinois legislature to mirror New Jersey and California in creating guidelines for the placement of warehouse sites. We want to protect other communities, communities that might not have the wherewithal to put up a fight, from 600 trucks in their backyard.
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You can find last week’s blog here: https://raffstuff.home.blog/2023/06/05/family-songs/
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