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Aurora Beacon-News
January 25, 2002

Village eyes access for commerce on Route 47

Sugar Grove: Changing road's designation could pave way for retail development

By Marie-Anne Hogarth
STAFF WRITER

SUGAR GROVE ó On Kane County's 2020 plan, Route 47 is the dividing line between development and open space.

Now the village of Sugar Grove is asking the Illinois Department of Transportation to change its designation of the route ó from a rural to a suburban Strategic Regional Arterial.

Essentially, the difference would allow for more traffic lights, or full-access points, according to county and state transportation officials. These would be needed for stores to be built along the roadway.

But even with a suburban designation, developers would need to apply to the state for access to the road.

Village trustees have known for a long time that they would be making this request, said Village President Sean Michels. But trustees waited for a developer to come forward.

That request was recently made, Michels said, by a partnership that owns land on both sides of Route 47 between Galena Boulevard and Route 56.

Randall example


As it is currently designated, signals are allowed on Route 47 every half mile, said Roger Valente, a program planner for the Illinois Department of Transportation. With the suburban designation, the signals are allowed every quarter mile.

Randall Road, a county road that also is designated under a state plan as a suburban Regional Strategic Arterial, allows signals a third of a mile apart, said Thomas Rickert of the Kane Department of Transportation.

Kane County officials previously allowed access points every quarter mile, Rickert said. But county officials changed the rule because of concern over congestion on Randall Road.

Karen Steve-McConnaughay, R-St. Charles, chairman of the County Board Transportation Committee, said granting too many access points along Randall Road has been one of the county's mistakes. Another error was not allowing for a network of secondary roads to run behind developments, taking traffic off congested Randall.

But Steve-McConnaughay said Kane County officials did not have the perspective of history to benefit them.

Commercial interests


The discussion on changing Route 47's designation was prompted by the interest shown for development along the road.

James White, an attorney for the landowner trust, said the land on the west side of Route 47 might be sold to a commercial developer wanting to build two large anchor stores, with a smaller retail development.

White had no details about the land on the east side of Route 47, but he pointed out that it was designated as commercial on the village's plans.

The parcels of land are not annexed.

Northeast of Galena/Route 47, the thought is to build a multi-tenant shopping center, anchored by a grocery store, said Robert Nelson, a managing member of a different partnership, Blissfield LLC, which owns about 50 acres there.

There have been talks with several grocery stores but nothing definite, Nelson said. Smaller stores might potentially include a Hallmark, Quizno's Subs and other shops.

This land is zoned and annexed, Nelson said, but he anticipates the first store opening in as many as 7 to 10 years.

Changing designation


Michels said Sugar Grove has been diligently working on a Route 47 plan so that development along the road meets certain standards.

"It will be a retail corridor," Michels said, "but we will dress it up."

Still, Sugar Grove's plan might not solve traffic issues, Michels said.

He said that he believes that the Prairie Parkway is needed to solve the congestion issues.

Michels said he was glad to be moving ahead with plans for the Route 47 corridor.

"Our board realized that there is a limited window of opportunity," Michels said. "That if the economy turns around, then companies might not want to expand. If we don't work with them, they will move elsewhere."

The Regional Strategic Arterial designation for roads was created in the early to mid 1990s. The designation identifies how the road might change in the long term, allowing for development.

Valente said he did not know if IDOT had ever changed the designation of any SRA from rural to suburban. But, he added, he didn't know if anybody had ever asked.