Village Board Rejects Proposal For 1.2M-Square-Foot Warehouse Development

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield Village Board voted Monday night to veto a proposal two years in the making for a 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse on 170 acres along Ridge Road.

DPGF Plainfield and Core5 Industrial Partners proposed building the warehouse and five commercial lots — totaling 14.83 acres — on the 214-acre property commonly known as Rot Farm, located west of Ridge Road and north of Johnson Street.

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To do so, the developers looked to annex the undeveloped Kendall County agricultural property and adjust the zoning to I-1, or office, research and light industrial, and B-3, or highway business district. The proposal received a unanimous recommendation from the Plan Commission, which opined the property was a logical extension of Plainfield's boundaries.

The project has made its way through Plainfield's government for two years. Most recently, trustees directing the village attorney July 3 to prepare the necessary ordinances for approval. Developers made several modifications to original plans to adhere to staff and residents' concerns, including removing residential plans to the north and adding the commercial developments along Ridge Road.

Mayor John Argoudelis said the proposal was in line with the village's 2024 comprehensive plan, which included an outline for an industrial zone centered on 143rd Street and Ridge Road.

"Right now, there's a need for industrial. ... We do not control the market," he said ahead of the vote. "My feeling is, if we don't take advantage of the marketplace while it presents itself ... it won't be available to us, so if we miss out on creating an industrial zone to lessen the burden on our homes and to provide tax dollars that will provide the quality of services we've come to expect, we have to do this."

But on Monday, trustees struck down the motion to annex the property with a 4-1 vote. Only Trustee Tom Ruane voted in favor, and Trustee Siv Panicker abstained.

The failed motion was met with a round of applause from audience members. Residents opposed to the project voiced concerns that included traffic, construction and emissions.

A Change.org petition that began circulating online called for the village to cease building warehouses. As of publication, it had collected 93 signatures in the two-months published.

"Plainfield residents are sick and tired of never-ending construction and awful traffic," petition reads. "Adding more warehouses to our hometown is going to increase the amount of semi-trucks and cause even more traffic that we have to drive through."

It continued: "We appreciate more of the small town feel. Warehouses take away from our beloved farmland and green spaces. We don't want to see nature taken over by giant concrete buildings. We don't want the light pollution and noise pollution that will come from these massive warehouses."

Grande Park, the nearest subdivision to the proposed warehouse, is about 1,200 feet away. Among compromises included the developer extending a $35,000 offer to the homeowner's association to fund additional landscaping along Plainfield Road.

Trustee Margie Bonuchi said she has been in favor of the industrial zone and of the Rot Farm proposal to diversify the tax base but found herself in a quandary because "now I feel like there are a lot of questions that didn't seem to get answered."

"I think there's a wide area between what the developer feels that they've provided to the residents and what the residents feel the information they got," Bonuchi said. "It's not going to be perfect, but answers are answers. ... If it was up to me, I'd table this with more time."

In explaining his reasoning, Ruane shared: "At the end, it just doesn't seem right to go through this whole process [to veto the project]. We're wasting everyone's time — ours, our developers, the people that live in the community — if we're just going to spin wheels. If this is something we don't want, we should say no. I never yet [have] seen anyone say 'no' until the last hour came up, and I think that's a bad habit to get in here."

Ruane added that he also agreed with the mayor's reasoning about the industrial zone.

"We don't get community feedback at these things unless it's next door to someone," he said. "Does that carry as much weight as someone who is giving us feedback for the whole of the community? Not really, to be honest with you."

In response, Sula, who joined the Village Board in April 2025, said she should have made her thoughts available sooner but "didn't realize how quickly these things were going to occur."

"I do think this is the right development for this space, just not at this time," she said.

Kiefer said he is more in favor of annexation because of the control the village could have on the development. Kiefer said he aligns with Bonuchi's comments regarding residents' concerns.

"If something is going to come to this area, we want to try to make it the least impactful to the residents in the immediate area," he said.