Elgin commission backs Oldcastle plan to screen outdoor storage at 1375 Gifford Road

The City of Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 Monday to recommend that City Council approve a map amendment and plan development for the property at 1375 Gifford Road, allowing expanded outdoor storage and installation of an 8-foot-high solid PVC privacy fence around the site.

Staff presented the petition by Cook Engineering Group for property owner Oldcastle Infrastructure, describing the subject parcel as about 41 acres improved with an approximately 56,000-square-foot manufacturing building that produces concrete infrastructure products. The staff report said Oldcastle acquired the site in 2018 and subsequently expanded the property from an original 12 acres approved under ordinance G3097. Staff recommended approval subject to the conditions in the packet.

The commission’s recommendation would allow outdoor storage (commercial operations yard) around the building and an 8-foot high white PVC privacy fence that would screen the storage along the perimeter. The applicant agreed to dedicate about 1 acre of land for Gifford Road right-of-way to Cook County Department of Transportation. The proposal would relocate outdoor storage so it sits about 60 feet from the west property line along Gifford Road and 20 feet from the south property line along Spalding Road; no setbacks were proposed from the north and east property lines. Staff said the applicant proposes substantial landscaping along the west and south property lines, including evergreens and about 20 shade trees facing Gifford Road.

The site plan includes other improvements: roughly 17,000 square feet of new concrete area around the building; an interior renovation of about 1,600 square feet for staff locker rooms; relocation of the refuse collection area to the back of the building; restriping and sealcoating of the surface parking lot to increase spaces from 39 to 44; and a potential future expansion of outdoor storage by about 47,000 square feet. Staff noted that, by the code’s 1-per-1,000-square-feet parking standard, a 57,000-square-foot building would require 57 parking spaces, and that the applicant estimated 30 employees on the busiest shift.

Commissioners questioned safety and operations. Commissioner Jones asked whether the adjacent business across Spalding Road is inside Elgin; staff confirmed it is. Commissioner Echeverria asked why the fence height was proposed at 8 feet instead of the typical 6 feet; staff and the petitioner said the taller fence is intended to screen stacked precast products (typically 4–7 feet tall) and to avoid having taller stacks set back farther from the fence. Kevin Sampica, Oldcastle Infrastructure capital projects manager, said the site is monitored by security cameras and that operations currently secure the yard when staff leave for the day.

Applicant representative Emily Hoffman of Cook Engineering Group told the commission Oldcastle is seeking to “screen and make it look nice around the perimeter and bring it into compliance,” saying the yard had been out of compliance when the company acquired the site. General contractor Brian Heimsoth said his firm would perform the site-improvement work.

Commissioners and staff noted departures from Elgin Municipal Code that the petition requests, including outdoor storage located in front/street yards where the code otherwise prohibits it, proposed fencing and screening that differs from street-yard standards (code typically allows a 4-foot open-design fence in the street yard), and a refuse collection area without the masonry enclosure the code normally requires for dumpsters accessed by heavy equipment. Staff said they believe applicable standards for map amendments and plan developments have been satisfied and recommended approval subject to packet conditions.

Commissioner Jones moved to recommend City Council approve petition 0825 subject to the packet conditions; Commissioner Valdez seconded. Roll call was unanimous in favor. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council; staff indicated applicants should continue working with staff to confirm City Council dates and any final plan refinements.

The commission’s materials cite ordinance G3097 (the 1997 ordinance approving the earlier development) and departures from the Elgin Municipal Code that would be memorialized as part of the plan development approval. The applicant also committed to a right-of-way dedication to Cook County Department of Transportation for Gifford Road.