Kane County committee seeks direction on facilities master plan, storage and leasing options

Kane County officials discussed short- and medium-term actions from the county's facilities master plan at the Administration Committee meeting on Feb. 14, 2025, focusing on office space shortages, storage needs and potential leasing or purchase options.

The master plan, completed and approved by the county board in November, divides projects into short-term (1—3 years), mid-term (3—10 years) and long-term (10+ years) horizons, county building manager Roger Fonstock told the committee. He said the plan is intended to guide decisions and be updated as projects progress.

Board members pressed for specifics after Fonstock outlined immediate problems: many offices are at capacity, the county lacks a dedicated logistics warehouse, the juvenile justice center (JJC) faces increased demand, and CASA's lease at the Third Street Courthouse expires in a little over a year. Fonstock said staff are weighing options including leasing, renovation and long-term construction.

Short-term needs cited by Fonstock include storage/warehouse capacity to pull equipment and records out of office space; space for election equipment; improved vehicle impound and surface parking for the Judicial Center campus; and immediate mechanical work at the newly purchased Elgin building (2170 Point Boulevard) before occupancy. Fonstock said the county's North Campus holds roughly 25,000 square feet of records and election equipment and is near capacity.

Committee members and staff described particular operational problems. Scott of the county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was quoted in committee discussion as reporting insufficient storage for vehicles, equipment and emergency supplies and limited office space for volunteers. Fonstock said OEM may need about 10,000 square feet for vehicles and up to 50,000 square feet more if the county consolidated multiple storage needs into a single warehouse.

Fonstock described a leasing example for context: a 5,000-square-foot nearby property was estimated at about $120,000 per year, which could relieve pressures on several offices. He also said industrial/warehouse asking prices in the market he reviewed were high: he cited a 40,000+-square-foot industrial building listed near $4.5—$5 million (about $100 per square foot), which he contrasted with lower office market prices.

The committee discussed specific buildings that could be repurposed. Members asked whether loading docks at the Montgomery Ward building (where the circuit clerk and branch court operate) could be reinstated; Fonstock said reworking the sally port and holding areas to restore loading-dock functionality would be possible but likely costly and would require buy-in from the courts and sheriff because they use the facility for detainee processing. Fonstock and others noted any renovation that would displace active court functions would require a relocation plan.

Members also discussed the Casa (Court Appointed Special Advocates) presence in the Third Street Courthouse. Fonstock said CASA occupies county space under a lease provision that anticipates the county will find alternate space if courts decide to relocate services as part of broader courthouse planning; the judicial branch has discussed expanding the JJC at the St. Charles campus, which could create space for CASA if pursued.

Board members asked for a concise inventory. Fonstock confirmed the master plan and the county's space-utilization study list all county-owned buildings and space needs and said staff would provide an abbreviated summary of vacant and underused properties. Fonstock noted the new Elgin building adds about 46,000 square feet and that staff expect some portion of that space to remain unallocated after initial placements.

Committee direction and next steps: members expressed broad interest in exploring leasing and purchase options but were not ready to commit to acquisitions. Fonstock asked whether the committee wanted staff and the county's broker, Brian Carroll of JLL, to identify specific lease and purchase candidates and return with cost comparisons; the committee asked staff to return with concrete examples and cost estimates rather than letters of intent. Fonstock said staff would present lease/purchase examples, storage alternatives and cost breakdowns for further committee review.

The discussion closed with a request that staff provide more details on available lease and warehouse properties, estimated costs for renovation (including restoring loading docks where feasible), and potential relocation scenarios that would allow courts or other offices to move while renovations occur.

For now, no formal capital commitments were made; the committee asked staff to return with options and pricing before taking action.

Ending: Fonstock said staff will bring lease and purchase examples, storage-facility options and cost estimates to a future meeting so the committee can give firm direction on whether to pursue leasing, purchase or renovation projects.