What To Do With Burr Ridge's Biggest Site For Development?

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge, which is drafting a long-term plan for development, is focusing first on perhaps the biggest issue on people's minds.

That would be what to do with the 110-acre property where the old CNH plant sits. The company has put the property on the market.

It was formerly International Harvester, which built a research center there decades ago.

That prompted residents to vote for incorporation in 1956 as the village of Harvester. The name changed to Burr Ridge six years later.

The CNH site is considered the biggest site for redevelopment in Burr Ridge.

Last summer, a big developer dropped its proposal for a commercial development on the property, which is at 6900 Veterans Boulevard. That was after residents said they were concerned about truck traffic.

An earlier plan for a Costco, along with other businesses on the site, fizzled in the face of neighbor opposition.

Now, the village is creating what is called a "comprehensive plan" in zoning jargon. It is to guide local development for the next couple of decades.

On Feb. 4, Burr Ridge is holding a "Visioning Workshop" to gather the public's feedback on the CNH site. It is from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Aria Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza hotel, 300 S. Frontage Road.

Attendees will meet in groups to create their own maps of the CNH site, identifying planning priorities, potential projects and improvements, the village said.