It’s no secret that Addison’s thriving economy has deep roots in the industrial sector on the west and south ends of town. At the crossroads of several major highways and conveniently positioned to service the Chicago area, the village has long been a popular location for office, warehousing and manufacturing businesses. In total, Addison has approximately 21 million square feet of industrial building space encompassing about 1800 acres – roughly two-thirds of the village land area.
The success of Addison’s industrial park and the additional retail draw on the west end of town has motivated village leaders to focus their attention on east side development in recent years.
“We’ve been spending a lot of time making sure our east end isn’t hurt by our west end,” said John Berley, community development director and assistant village manager.
Within the last two decades, the relocation of the village offices, the new Addison Public Library and the construction of the $27 million Elmhurst Hospital building all number among efforts to balance east side traffic against the regional draw of Addison’s west side. Most recently, the east side saw the arrival of the new Addison Bank & Trust, and Dunkley’s, a new burger and craft beer restaurant will soon open at the site formerly occupied by John’s Restaurant Pizzeria. Furthermore, improvements to the Village Green Festival Grounds have enhanced the experience of the popular and well-attended Rock N’ Wheels concert and car shows. With an attendance averaging around 2,000 people per event, this free Thursday night summer gathering has been a boon to the east side.
Residentially, Addison has about 12,500 housing units. And while the village is fairly built out, there are currently a few new housing projects on the horizon. A 19-unit ranch townhome project is in development at Woodland Avenue and Rohlwing Road Additionally, 30 acres of the old Addison Golf Course are being developed with single family townhomes. In the early stages of development, these Woodland Townhomes will ultimately comprise 87 new single family homes targeting the adult downsizer market.
The village also plans to meet the needs of senior residents with the construction of the Clarendale of Addison senior living community on Lake Street near Marcus Cinema. In 2017, Ryan Companies US Inc. broke ground on this $50 million project that will consist of 100 independent units, 50 assisted living units and 40 memory care units. Ryan Companies anticipates Clarendale of Addison will open in the summer of 2019.
Generally, Berley said the economic future is bright for Addison, due in large part to the village’s shrewd vision.
“I have to give credit to the village board; they’re open-minded and they will make bold moves to get things going in the right direction,” he said. “They wait for what they think is best for the community and they’ve done a good job.”