No ICE Jail In Elmhurst Warehouse, Developer Promises

ELMHURST, IL – The developer of a proposed warehouse in southwest Elmhurst wants to put the ICE issue to rest.

Speculation has been brewing that developer Houston-based Alliance Industrial planned to bring a jail for immigrants to town.

It had reached such a fever pitch that a man last month accused the city's zoning board of being "Nazi sympathizers."

But at a meeting Tuesday, Alliance representatives offered a deed restriction that would bar such a possibility for good. They also said they had no plan to bring in a data center.

Residents have been pointing to Alliance's experience elsewhere.

In February, Alliance joined with Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based equity firm, to sell two Georgia warehouses to ICE for $68 million, according to a real estate news website.

Alliance executives said they have had no discussions with ICE or the Department of Homeland Security about the building.

The developer plans to demolish Clarion Inn and build a warehouse with 32 docks.

The building would be near Salt Creek Primary School, the only local public school not part of Elmhurst District 205. It would also be next to other industrial buildings and the city's public works complex.

It is on the other side of Salt Creek from residential streets such as Hawthorne Avenue. The hotel cannot be seen from the neighborhood.

Neighbors contend the development would bring more truck traffic and present hazards for nearby schoolchildren.

But Andrew Karabon, an Alliance executive, told the city's Plan Commission that the site would not be a truck terminal. He said it could not handle such activity.

"The property is not desirable for that from an access perspective," he said.

The warehouse is listed as a "speculative" development, meaning users are secured during or after construction.

Karabon said Alliance analyzed similar warehouses in Elmhurst, Lombard, Addison and other nearby towns, finding they are typically "quiet and orderly."

"Modern speculative buildings are most often occupied by practical non-offensive uses," he said.

Asked about noise, Karabon said the company has not done a study on that. He said the sound from such a warehouse is not what people fear.

"It's just not that loud," he said.

During the public comment period, residents questioned the project.

Mark Dattoli said the company's presentation amounted to what the warehouse would not be. But he suggested the operation may be much more than what Alliance indicated.

"They seem to want us to believe they are building a mansion just to live in the basement," he said.

Elmhurst resident Mark Dattoli returns to his seat at Tuesday's Plan Commission meeting after speaking about a proposed warehouse in the southwest part of town. (David Giuliani/Patch)