Sycamore could annex ‘eyesore’ land for commercial development

SYCAMORE – The Sycamore City Council will consider annexing land near the corner of Coltonville Road and Electric Park Drive on Monday, potentially paving the way for a developer seeking to construct commercial buildings on the site.

Chuck Shepard, on behalf of Old Rich Point LLC, has signed a petition requesting that 4.97 acres of land on the southwest corner of Coltonville Road and Electric Park Drive be annexed to the city. City officials could grant that request as early as Monday, according to the City Council agenda.

On June 9, Shepard told the Sycamore Planning and Zoning Commission that he wants the city to annex the property so that he can develop business suites near the intersection.

“We’d like to start immediately,” Shepard said. “We bought it Dec. 20 and had hoped to move along more quickly.”

The land Shepard hopes to have annexed is near the east end of Coltonville Road, just northwest of O’Reilly Auto Parts, 1621 DeKalb Ave.

Shepard said he’s been working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to fix curbing issues at the intersection of Coltonville Road and Electric Park Drive.

Commission Chairperson Nate Kitterman said he noticed “existing dwellings” on the northeast corner of the property, and Shepard said those structures would be torn down as part of his development plans.

Those plans include building three commercial buildings that run parallel to Electric Park Road, according to city documents. The two largest buildings would be 8,400 square feet. The third central building would be 7,000 square feet, records show.

Those plans are contingent on the property – which is currently under DeKalb County’s jurisdiction – being annexed to Sycamore, however.

Sycamore Community Development Director John Sauter said the proposed commercial development still would need to go through multiple meetings for city approval, even if the City Council approves annexation Monday.

On June 9, without taking a formal vote, every present member of the city’s planning and zoning commission said they were in favor of the annexation.

Shepard said he hopes to build multifamily residential units on the west side of his property after the commercial development is approved. Plans for the residential development are scant, however.

“It just makes some real sense ... to clean it up for Sycamore,” Shepard said.

Commissioner Dave Finney said he thinks the annexation and commercial development make sense from a city planning perspective.

“I think it’s a good fit for that piece of property,” Finney said. “It’s kind of an eyesore right now.”