Des Plaines homeowners who spent years trying to force out a nearby animal feed operation over odor complaints say they are facing a new fight: opposition to a proposed warehouse of more than 90,000 square feet close to homes and other community spaces.
What happened?
Last week, as The Daily Herald reported, the village's planning and zoning commission backed the zoning change required for the project on a 3-2 vote. Residents in Des Plaines and Mount Prospect are opposing a plan to replace a former four-story office building with a warehouse near the southwest corner of Kensington and Wolf roads in Mount Prospect's Kensington Business Center.
The proposal comes from 1600 Bishop Partnership LLC, which is linked to Wingspan Development Group under the Nicholas Family of Companies. The site could be used for online retail fulfillment, light assembly and distribution, or perhaps by a pharmaceutical tenant.
In a letter, homeowners argued that the proposal would further strain an area they already consider overloaded with heavy trucks and threaten safety and the neighborhood's character. They wrote, "Mount Prospect should have consideration for the public safety issues and the residential fabric of our neighborhood. Our communities pay well over $1 million a year to get our kids safely to River Trails school district. Our roads are busy enough with semitruck traffic."
Residents' responses are also shaped by what happened across the street at Prestige Feed Products. The business, which operated across the street, left the center at the end of last year after years of odor complaints from the same neighbors.
Why does it matter?
For Des Plaines resident Mary Pat Donohue, the intersection carries a personal fear. She said her daughter survived being hit by a car while jogging near the site a decade ago, and in emotional testimony described by The Daily Herald, Donohue told officials that "That area is a little bit deceiving because it's wide open. You begin to forget that there are families and homes there."
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Unfortunately, warehouses can bring more diesel truck trips and more noise to neighborhoods already coping with busy roads.
What's being done?
The final call will come at a future Mount Prospect village board meeting.
This is not the first industrial fight these residents have taken on; after years of complaints, they previously succeeded in challenging Prestige Feed Products.
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