August 28, 2008

Uline Closer to Arrival
Plan Commission OKs final plat for corporate office

By Terry Flores
Kenosha News

Developers of the $100 million Uline project in Pleasant Prairie can now apply for a building permit.

By a unanimous vote, the village's Plan Commission on Monday approved the final site and operational plans for the project.

Uline, an international distributor of shipping materials currently located in Waukegan, Ill., wants to construct its corporate office building, warehouse, distribution center and other related improvements on a 200-acre site south of Highway Q and west of 120th Avenue. When the project is done, the company proposes to employ 850.

Uline is expected to complete the project in the next two years. Before the company can receive its permits to begin construction, the project must be approved by both the Village Board and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The board is expected to review and vote on the project's planned unit development on Sept. 2. The state is currently taking comments from the public to satisfy environmental impact requirements.

The impact statement is needed because Uline's proposal includes parking for more than 1,000 vehicles. A Department of Natural Resources study has already determined that carbon monoxide levels from the parking lot area would not have adverse effects on air quality. A state permit is expected to be issued after Sept. 8.

Plan Commission member Mike Serpe, who is also a village trustee, was impressed with Uline and the opportunities it promises for the community.

“I'll tell you, that's one of the nicest things I've seen come to the committee in a long time,” Serpe said.

The commission also held public hearings for Uline's planned unit development and its addition to a village tax incremental financing district, estimated in value at more than $1 billion. Both were also unanimously approved.

Village Administrator Mike Pollocoff said the tax incremental financing district, expected to be retired in 2019 if no other businesses locate within it after the Uline development, is projected to bring in tax revenue estimated at $124 million.