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Geneva rejects Venture One warehouse zoning for second time

Concerns over noise, traffic and pollution brought opposition, but overwhelming demand has kept firm bullish on industrial use

Geneva Rejects Venture One Warehouse Proposal for Second Time
Venture One’s Roy Splansky and Mark Goode (Venture One)

A developer’s bid to construct an industrial facility in Geneva has been shot down for the second time in less than a year.

The Geneva Planning and Zoning Commission recommended against Rosemont-based Venture One Acquisitions’ proposal to build a 719,200-square-foot warehouse on the northeast corner of Kirk Road and Fabyan Parkway, Shaw Local reported. 

Venture One wants to rezone the 55-acre site for light industrial use. The company also requested to annex the land, but the commission doesn’t handle that matter.

Venture One withdrew an identical proposal last year before it reached city council for consideration, although it would have likely been rejected per the commission’s recommendation. Yet, Venture One remains bullish on the project due to the strong demand for industrial space in Chicagoland.

“This does fit into your long-term comprehensive plan to be a light industrial use in this area,” Venture One co-founder Mark Goode said during a meeting this week. 

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Locals have pushed back against the proposal due to concerns over traffic, noise and pollution. They would like to see the land developed as residential, said local resident David Wallenciak. Geneva officials are opposed to that, however.

“Residential has not been something that the city has thought would be a viable option at that location,” city planner Matt Buesing said.

City council is set to consider the proposal on May 20, the outlet reported.

Despite a strong industrial sector, which has emerged as a bright spot within Chicagoland’s commercial real estate landscape since the pandemic sparked an increase of e-commerce, developers have struggled to get such projects off the ground for reasons similar to the Geneva one.

In Deerfield, Bridge Industrial pursued redevelopment of a 10-building office campus into a 1.1 million-square-foot logistics hub, but the developer ultimately dropped its bid amid heated opposition from residents and officials. The village even voted to effectively ban warehouse and distribution facilities earlier this year. 

—Quinn Donoghue 

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