South, southwest ride high on roads paved with growth

Boomtowns were common in the Chicago suburbs in the 1980s.Think of Naperville and Schaumburg, to name just two.

Today's boom, however, isn't following municipal borders.Instead, entire portions of the far south and southwest suburbs aretaking off, often along major transportation links. The boom takesin a lot of territory - from Romeoville to Bolingbrook to Joliet toMatteson and even to Kankakee.

One impetus is the greatly improved access created by theNorth-South Tollway (Interstate 355), which connects south and westsuburban areas and ties into other interstate highways. That helpscreate a major distribution hub for an area where land and labor arestill relatively cheap.

The point - and the potential - do not escape the PrudentialProperty Co.

"We feel that the new North-South Tollway is going to make atremendous difference," said David C. Berry, general manager ofPrudential Property. Opened last Christmas, the tollway extends fromArmy Trail Road south to Interstate 55 at Bolingbrook.

"The new highway gives great penetration to the rest of theChicago marketplace and it is somewhat shielded from the congestionof some other areas."

Prudential recently took a big position in land with 153 acresthat it hopes to annex to Bolingbrook, sensing that the area is goingto be as strong for development as Naperville was when Prudentialstarted the Naperville Corporate Center eight years ago.

Further east, the impetus to the boom is Interstate 57, alongtime route that is being rediscovered by developers. I-57 splitsoff from the Dan Ryan Expy. near 95th Street in Chicago, then windsits way south through Blue Island, Oak Forest, Matteson, andeventually to Kankakee on its way to Champaign-Urbana.

"It's a great fringe area to begin developing, especially if thethird airport lands somewhere near here," said Paul Blanchette,president of the Kankakee County Economic Development Council.

The work force in both the south and southwest corridors appealsto people such as Kathleen Reading, one of the top brokers in thearea with Baird & Warner at Southwick Corporate Park in Matteson, abooming suburb near the intersection of I-57 and U.S. 30 (211thStreet).

"A majority of the work force at the Southwick Corporate Park isworking mothers," she said. "Baker's Square has a vast majority ofwomen, and the same is true at Jackson, Long & Associates, a claimsadjusting firm. The work force is probably one of the reasons a lotof corporations are locating here."

Said Blanchette: "There is a good work ethic and the cost oflabor is reasonable."

In addition to Prudential, the other owners in the southwestcorridor tend to be large and financially secure. Amli Realtyrecently annexed 375 acres to the village of Romeoville, nearBolingbrook, that the firm will develop as a mixed-use project calledWindham Lakes Business Park.

The real estate arms of Santa Fe Pacific (which has a bigproject in Woodridge) and Union Pacific (which is starting adevelopment in Bolingbrook) are other well-financed companies in thecorridor. Seven Bridges, recently annexed to Woodridge, will includeeverything from a shopping center to a golf course to single- andmultifamily housing. Co-developers Forest City Enterprises and theHarris Group plan a hotel and retail centers, as well as office andresidential space.

"We're creating an urban village on a site that was around along time but never developed," said Fred Peterman, marketingdirector of that project at Illinois 53 and Hobson Road on the borderof Will and Du Page counties. "It will be a hub for surroundingcommunities with a great amount of open space, including a first-rategolf course."

Matteson claims to have the largest corporate office areasouthwest of the Loop, with three corporate office parks and adistribution park under construction.

With many major developments within its boundaries or at itsdoorstep, Bolingbrook might dispute that claim. Despite itsaggressive marketing program, Bolingbrook doesn't want to losecontrol of its growth.

"Will County can be another Du Page County in growth inpopulation and in its industrial base, but we are trying to avoid DuPage's infrastructure problems and congestion," said Roger C. Claar,mayor of Bolingbrook.

"We have some natural things going for us that perhaps otherareas don't have," he said.

"We have a chance to do better planning for roads with the bigprojects such as Trammell Crow and the Gahlberg organization willdevelop.

"We can put in the roads at the outset rather than after thefact."

Trammell Crow plans an eight- to 10-year buildout of its 250acres and William E. Gahlberg & Associates figures on about 12 yearsfor its 750-acre site of commercial and industrial development. Thefirst phases of both projects have started.

That Will and Kankakee counties seek and encourage developmentis refreshing to developers, who face battles in Du Page and Lakecounties from the moment they reveal plans. There, officials, actingin the name of environmental and congestion issues, often slow up or,in some cases, stop the development.

"We are friendly to get people in the door," Claar said."Everyone is pleased with the development process here.

"Occasional problems come up, but we sit down at the table andwork them out. Will County clearly has a pro-growth attitude."