VERY IMPORTANT: When you sign please state whether or not you live within the Village of Sugar Grove in the comment section. 

The Village of Sugar Grove is preparing to vote on the annexation, zoning, and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Crown Community Development’s approximately 760 acres along the Interstate 88 and Route 47 corridor, owned by Sugar Grove LLC. The development is referred to as The Grove and Grove Park. This development concept and requested TIF will impact residents in the Village of Sugar Grove, Sugar Grove Township, Blackberry Township, and the Kaneland School District.

Crown Community Development has requested significant flexibility with Planned Development District (PDD) zoning. Their land concept could include distribution warehousing, data centers, one or two fueling stations with up to 24 bays, commercial and retail spaces, medical offices, residential areas, and a new town hall.

According to TheGroveIllinois.com, the distribution warehouses are estimated to generate traffic of 730 daily truck trips. The Kimley Horn traffic study estimates that 36,170 vehicles will be added to our roads per day, which will necessitate extensive road work.

The TIF has been evaluated by consultant SB Friedman. Their Final Report titled Tax Increment Financing District Eligibility Report and Redevelopment Plan and Project states that the Total Development Project Cost is $350,000,000.

The TIF will divert 80% of the property taxes on the improved value of the land back to Crown Community Development for reimbursement of TIF-eligible expenses. This means that 80% of the property taxes would not go to the 15 taxing bodies affected by this development. These 15 taxing bodies will continue to receive the current, mostly agricultural property taxes, which will be frozen for the next 23 years. Some taxing bodies have expressed concern that the TIF does not qualify as blighted and that the development could cause an unfunded burden on them. These beliefs have been echoed by the public throughout the hearing process. The burden on the 15 taxing bodies has the potential to raise property taxes for homeowners throughout the Kaneland School District, as the burden on these taxing bodies is passed down to property owners.

TIFs require that the land is blighted. The Village of Sugar Grove’s TIF consultant, SB Friedman, states that the Sugar Grove LLC parcels are blighted by one factor: “EEI, as the Village’s engineering firm, has indicated that runoff from 88% of the proposed RPA contributes to downstream flooding within the Blackberry Creek Watershed. This factor is found to be present to a meaningful extent and reasonably distributed throughout the proposed RPA.”

Experts have testified during the zoning hearing, disputing this eligibility.

At around 12 a.m. on August 27, 2024, during the Village of Sugar Grove’s ongoing hearing, President Jennifer Konen announced that new terms had been negotiated for the TIF, reducing the split from 90/10 to 80/10/10 or 80/20. Another change announced was a higher interest rate applied to the TIF. However, financial documents detailing the now higher interest rate have not been completed or made available, and the hearing process is scheduled to continue. Updated financials cannot be shared because they are unknown and have not been provided by the Village of Sugar Grove.

The trustees of the Village of Sugar Grove will soon vote on whether to approve the annexation of the Sugar Grove LLC land into the Village of Sugar Grove, the requested zoning of Planned Development District (PDD), and make three votes to approve, designate, and adopt the Village of Sugar Grove’s TIF for this development. Voting could begin as early as September 3, 2024.

Your signature is urgently needed, as we only have days left before voting begins. The results of this petition will be provided to the trustees of the Village of Sugar Grove prior to their voting.

To view documents regarding Crown Community Development and their Sugar Grove LLC land, please refer to the Village of Sugar Grove website:

https://www.sugargroveil.gov/sugar-grove-llc-development-information

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Petition to Oppose the Annexation, Zoning, and TIF for Crown Community Development’s Sugar Grove LLC Land with the Village of Sugar Grove

We, the undersigned, urge the trustees of the Village of Sugar Grove to vote “NO” on the proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the development concept presented by Crown Community Development for approximately 760 acres along the Interstate 88 and Route 47 corridor, under the ownership of Sugar Grove LLC.

Key Concerns:

1. Traffic and Environmental Impact:  
   The proposed development is estimated to generate 730 daily truck trips and add 36,170 vehicles per day, which will significantly impact traffic, safety, air quality in the area, and health of residents.

2. Financial Impact on Taxing Bodies and Residents:  
   The TIF will divert 80% of property taxes on the improved value of the land back to Crown Community Development, leaving the 15 impacted taxing bodies receiving the current mostly agricultural property tax rates for the next 23 years. This could result in an unfunded burden on these bodies, potentially raising property taxes for homeowners throughout the Kaneland school district.

3. Questionable Blight Designation:  
   The TIF consultant, SB Friedman, has stated that the Sugar Grove LLC parcels are considered blighted due to downstream flooding within the same watershed. However, experts have testified that this eligibility is questionable.

4. Lack of Transparency and Incomplete Financial Data: 
   New terms for the TIF were announced late in the hearing process, including changes to the tax split and a higher interest rate, without the completion or availability of updated financial documents. The community has not been provided with sufficient information to fully understand the financial impact of these changes.

Call to Action:

We request that the Village of Sugar Grove trustees vote against the annexation, zoning, and TIF for this development. The potential negative impacts on our community, environment, and financial well-being are too significant to overlook. 

By signing this petition, you are standing with the community in opposition to the proposed TIF and development concept as presented, urging the trustees to consider the long-term implications for all residents of Sugar Grove and the surrounding communities and vote NO to the annexation, zoning, and TIF.

VERY IMPORTANT: When you sign please state whether or not you live within the Village of Sugar Grove in the comment section.