Baxter Site Meeting Moved To Deerfield High School On May 11
DEERFIELD, IL — After last week’s scheduled meeting had to be postponed due to an overflowing crowd, the Deerfield Plan Commission has announced its next meeting has been moved to Deerfield High School. Among the items on the agenda is a discussion regarding the future of the Baxter International campus.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the high school’s gym at 1959 Waukegan Road. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Attendees are asked to only enter through the gym entrance for the in-person meeting.
On April 27, protestors and concerned citizens holding signs lined up at Deerfield Village Hall prior to the previously scheduled meeting. Baxter International is nearing the sale of its 101-acre campus at 1 Baxter Parkway to Bridge Industrial. The Chicago-based developer is proposing to annex the property to Deerfield and rezone the site for industrial and recreational use. Their intent is to then demolish all existing structures and redevelop the property as a state-of-the-art business park.
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As reported by Patch on April 21, a petition opposing Bridge’s plans was started at Change.org. The key issue with this proposal is the potential of “an estimated 600 semi-trucks per day congesting the streets of Saunders, Lake Cook and Deerfield roads.” The petition has now reached more than 4,100 signatures as of Friday afternoon.
“We want you to know that in this process, everyone will have the opportunity to be heard,” Mayor Daniel C. Shapiro said in a message to residents. The Plan Commission will conduct public hearings which will include Bridge’s presentation and comments from the Plan Commission and the public. The Board, at the conclusion of the public hearings will then consider the Plan Commission’s recommendation.”
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Bridge’s three-building plan for the property includes:
According to a memo from Bridge, the two industrial buildings would be able to accommodate a variety of uses including warehouse, distribution, assembly, and light manufacturing. The recreational facility would be designed in a way that it could be converted to industrial use in the future if needed.
Bridge also notes the Deerfield Park District has expressed a “high level of interest in leasing the recreational facility.”
In a letter to the Village answering questions about the project, Bridge said it anticipates truck traffic to be a mix of different vehicles, but also believes it will be primarily semi-trucks. It anticipates peak traffic on weekdays will be between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. in the morning, and 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at night. The company said weekend traffic will “generally be lower” during the aforementioned hours.
“I assure you that no one on this Board has or will prejudge Bridge’s application and I urge all of you to try not to prejudge or make assumptions,” Shapiro said. “It is important that all of us try to respect the process, stick to the facts, and come to our own conclusions based on what is stated in the application and at our meetings.”
While details regarding the purchase price of the Baxter property have not been released publically, Crain’s Chicago Business reported in January that the deal for the 645,688-square-foot-headquarters would be in the neighborhood of $90 and $100 million.
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