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Long known as a
tree-lined, family-friendly community, the Village of Bartlett
recognized that manufacturing, distribution facilities and office
headquarters would help solidify the local economy in the late 90’s.
Building up the Village’s tax base, providing good paying jobs, and
building up a strong daytime population were some of the goals to help
bolster Bartlett’s economy on a long-term basis. Coincidentally, the
Village of Bartlett was home to Bartlett Quarry, a sand and gravel
quarry owned by Elmhurst Chicago Stone Company that had been depleted
of its minerals by that time.
With this in mind, Village of Bartlett officials took the proactive
measure of negotiating and entering into a partnership with landowner
Elmhurst Chicago Stone Company in 1999 in the form of a Redevelopment
Agreement to develop Bartlett Quarry into one of the premier Chicago
area business parks over the next twenty years via the creation of the
village’s second Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
Bartlett assembled a top-notch development team to put this
Agreement into place including Teska Associates, Inc., who served as
the TIF planning consultant, and Chapman and Cutler, legal counsel for
the formation of the TIF District. Village officials also worked in
conjunction with the DuPage and Cook County Highway Departments in
regard to the construction of a north-south arterial through the
development.
The TIF financing mechanism is being used to reimburse the
landowner’s developer notes for site reclamation and infrastructure
for the 600-plus acre business park which is put into place according
to a phased plan. Thirty million dollars is being invested over the
life of the TIF for land reclamation, installation of off-site
infrastructure and road improvements to facilitate the land
development, installation of site amenities including street lighting,
parkway trees, perimeter landscaped areas to buffer surrounding
residential uses, landscaped entrances, and the creation of wetlands.
 In addition to TIF funds reimbursing the developer for site
preparation, Bartlett adopted an I-2 Economic Development Area zoning
classification with specific parameters for
Brewster Creek. This
process gives developers clear-cut guidelines on the Village’s
specifications on guidelines for site development and speeds up the
approval process in comparison to other zoning districts in Bartlett.
The zoning allows for office, research and industrial uses. Limited
service-oriented businesses are also now moving into the business
park, including Bartlett Animal Hospital, a dog boarding facility, an
auto racing and accessories retailer and a baseball training facility.
Dozens of small businesses operate out of industrial/office
condominium projects developed by Elgin-based Triumph Development and
Bartlett-based INsite Development, the most active developers in
Brewster Creek.
The overall development plan encompasses 670 total acres with 468
acres available for development, 67 acres for wetlands and open space,
78 acres of roads, and 56 acres in lakes. With industrial sites of
various sizes, rail accessibility, DuPage County taxes and excellent
proximity to major commercial thoroughfares, the Brewster Creek
Business Park is becoming a major draw for relocating and expanding
companies of all types and sizes.
 The business park is serviced by city water and sanitary sewer, gas
is provided by NICOR and electrical service is provided by
Commonwealth Edison. The local telecommunications provider is
Ameritech. O’Hare International Airport is only 21 miles from the Park
and DuPage Airport is six miles away. Highway access includes:
Elgin-O’Hare Expressway two miles to the east, I-355 is ten miles to
the east, I-90 is six miles to the north and I-88 is ten miles to the
south. The Stearns Road Bridge planned to span the Fox River in Kane
County is a few miles west of the Park.
To date, interest has been strong from firms in the O’Hare market and
the Northwest and West suburban markets. Companies have been
relocating from inner-ring suburban locations and other older business
parks due to the inability to expand at their current site and/or to
take advantage of property tax rates in DuPage County. Many notable
companies have set up headquarters, ancillary locations or
distribution facilities in Brewster Creek. Greco & Sons (food
distributors), Just-In-Time Packaging, Five Star Safety Equipment,
Promark International, U.S. Wittenstein/Alpha Gear Drives, Herrmann
Ultrasonics, MacLean Fastener and many others have recently opened in
Brewster Creek.
  
Several other large projects have been approved in
2006, during which Bartlett officials approved over 1.1 million square
feet of construction in the form of nine projects. Victory Land Group
was approved to construct a 400,000 square foot furniture distribution
center while Dania Furniture was approved to construct a 301,000
square foot furniture distribution center nearby.
In economic development terms, Brewster Creek is well on its way to
accomplishing the Village’s goals. Where a depleted gravel pit once
stood, over four hundred employees now work in a variety of jobs
ranging from light manufacturing to high-tech research to automobile
racing. Soon, area residents will be able to board their dogs or takes
swings at a batting cage during the dead of winter in Brewster Creek.
A TIF District with an assessed valuation of $2.1 million in 2000 is
now assessed at $22.4 million (2006) and will, most likely, exceed $30
million by 2008. By the time Brewster Creek is built-out, it will be
well-known as one of the most attractive and successful business parks
in the Chicago area.
For more information, visit
http://www.village.bartlett.il.us/brewster.html or contact the
Village of Bartlett.
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