Heading into April election, Plainfield mayor praises local economy

Seeking another term in office on April 1, Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis told a packed audience of local business owners, residents and government stakeholders “making the best Plainfield is so important to me.”

Speaking at the annual State of the Village address hosted by the Plainfield Junior Woman’s Club (PJWC) at Plainfield Farmhouse on March 12, he confessed it may sound “trite,” but he determined to make “the best Plainfield” by “maximizing every aspect of village life whether it be economic opportunities or recreational opportunities – whatever it is.”

Argoudelis credited village staff with making Plainfield a place “where people want to be and business wants to be,” citing retail development, industrial growth and home developments.

“The total combined value of all commercial, industrial and residential construction was worth over $400 million invested in our community,” he said.

Looking forward, Argoudelis said, “One of the things we are really excited about is the new Woodman’s Market development.”

The 240,000-square-foot store will feature a gas station, car wash, oil change center and other out lots for additional retail space and restaurants.

Currently, the grocer is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to make $12 million in improvements to the adjacent intersection at 119th and Illinois Route 59 to “make travel much more smoothly,” Argoudelis said.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2025 for a new Hawk Auto location that would include four dealerships just north of Rolf Road on the east side of Route 59, he said.

Cooper’s Hawk at The Boulevard, a mixed-use site at the northwest quadrant of Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 30 is expected to open “late spring, early summer,” he added.

Argoudelis said the drive-thru Portillo’s location on Route 59 is expected to open “sometime this summer. We are working hard with them to make sure that intersection works.”

He said that Downtown Plainfield has rebounded with new restaurants having moved into spaces that were closed just a year ago.

Infrastructure improvements

Argoudelis credits investments to roads and infrastructure and proximity to interstates as just a couple of reasons why industrial development in the village is growing.

This allows Plainfield’s tax base to be less reliant on homeowner property taxes for funding.

He said Trammell Crow Company began construction on a 788,000-square-foot warehouse on 143rd Street.

Other new industrial developments include a new DHL Logistics 1.2 million-square-foot industrial development at the corner of Ridge Road and 143rd Street.

The village also approved the “largest development in our history,” Argoudelis said.

The multi-building light industrial park is set to include five million square feet of development over 340 acres located west of Steiner Road between Illinois Route 126 and 143rd Street.

He added that the proposed project would generate over $5 million in property tax revenue and $6 million in impact fees.

The project would include additional green space and an expanded trail system as well as roadwork to lessen traffic from residents.

The project would create construction jobs as well as permanent jobs, Argoudelis said, “Good quality jobs averaging about $100,000 per year.”

He also said it will bolster the ability for residents to stay home and work.

Currently, according to statistics from Will County, 72% of residents leave the county for their job each day.

People still want to move to Plainfield, he added, “They are many people who are attracted to our quality of life.”

More than 450 single-family homes were permitted in 2024, marking the biggest number in 10 years.

Not wanting to burden homeowners, Argoudelis said, “We can cash in on industrial growth.”

“When I came into office, 88% of real estate taxes came from homeowners, today that number is about 80%,” he said. Now, Argoudelis has a goal of reducing that number to 70%.

“But that takes a diverse tax base,” he said.

PJWC President Christina Wuestling said the money raised from the state of the village event is used to provide scholarships to Plainfield high school seniors.

The event also “supports our community,” she said.