DEERFIELD, IL — Last month, Bridge Industrial withdrew a petition to annex and redevelop the Baxter International site as it neared a purchase of the 101-acre campus. By doing so, the Chicago-based developer canceled a meeting with the Deerfield Plan Commission, but it appears Bridge is still interested in exploring its options at 1 Baxter Parkway.
According to the Lake County Planning, Building, and Development Department, a preliminary “Early Assistance” meeting is planned with Bridge for July 18. Lake County said the parties will discuss the potential redevelopment of the property.
Over the last few months, Bridge announced it was proposing to annex the property to Deerfield and rezone the site for industrial and recreational use. Their intent was to then demolish all existing structures and redevelop the property as a state-of-the-art business park.
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On June 21, Deerfield Mayor Daniel Shapiro said Bridge “struggled to present a compelling case,” while also saying “it was disheartening to witness instances where innuendo, rumors and smear campaigns overshadowed thoughtful public debate and discussion.”
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Because the property is located in unincorporated Lake County, development at Baxter is “potentially subject to regulations from various Lake County agencies,” according to officials.
Lake County said that during the meeting, the PB&D department will be joined by its counterparts in other county departments. After the meeting, the PB&D department said it will complete a review of the information provided to produce the “Early Assistance” report. Officials said the report typically takes 10-20 business days to complete and will provide a detailed assessment of what review processes would apply to the request, the types of regulations that would be relevant, and the next steps to expect if a developer chooses to move forward.
On June 7, one day before a plan commission meeting and public hearing was scheduled with Bridge regarding the property, the company withdrew the petition.
Since plans for the proposed redevelopment project went public, more than 5,500 local residents have signed a petition, pushing back against the proposed redevelopment. At issue, according to opponents of the plan, is an estimated 600 semi-trucks per day congesting the streets of Saunders, Lake Cook, and Deerfield roads that would take place during the redevelopment, local residents said. A GoFundMe effort has also raised more than $3,000 to oppose the development project.
“As we say, we won the battle — not the war,” Riverwoods resident Caron Blitz told Patch last month. “But know this isn’t over, but it was a major battle.”
According to Lake County, if Bridge ultimately decides to submit a formal project development application, “it is the County’s legal obligation to intake the application and then administer the various applicable review processes.”
Bridge’s original three-building plan for the property includes:
For those signing the petition at Change.org, among the key issues with this proposal is the potential of “an estimated 600 semi-trucks per day congesting the streets of Saunders, Lake Cook and Deerfield roads.”
Bridge has 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., and 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The company said weekend traffic will “generally be lower” during the aforementioned hours.
“Legitimate concerns emerged regarding traffic, pollution, noise and alternative uses that had not been adequately addressed,” Shapiro said. “The hearing process and public participation provided valuable opportunities for the Plan Commission and the public to ask tough questions, ultimately highlighting several unresolved issues.”
Lake County said as the project progresses to the formal application stage, it will update its website here.
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