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Council approves expanded outdoor storage at former General Mills site; owner says Tesla is interested
Summary
The council approved an amendment to a special-use permit for outdoor storage at 800 W. Washington St. Brain Industries (owner/manager) described warehouse uses, privacy screening installed for aesthetics and a multi-year agreement with Tesla for office/parking use on part of the property.
The West Chicago City Council voted to amend a special‑use permit to allow outdoor storage ancillary to a permitted use at 800 West Washington Street, the large former General Mills facility that has been largely vacant since 2017.
Dale Hammersmith, who identified himself as representing Brain Industries (the property owner/manager), told the council the company has been working to market and subdivide the site and said the two west-side warehouses (about 350,000 square feet) have potential for varied reuse. He said Brain Industries has installed privacy screening and is operating contract packaging and storage on parts of the site.
"We have entered with two very large companies trying to develop the east side of the street," Hammersmith said, adding that Brain Industries has a "multi-year agreement" with Tesla and that the company “is on-site every day of the week, sometimes Saturday and Sunday.” He told the council that Tesla would use office space and parking and that truck traffic associated with the use stays on Town Road and does not intrude on nearby neighborhoods.
Council members pressed staff and the owner about remediation history, aesthetics and community impact; Hammersmith said he would stop operations immediately if the community raised concerns.
After discussion, council members voted to approve the special‑use amendment with standard conditions and the privacy screening that has been installed. No change to the industrial character of the broader site was mandated at the meeting.
What’s next: The owner and staff will continue communication with neighbors and the council about specific occupancy plans and any future major tenants; any subsequent land‑use changes would require separate review.
