Ruben Pineda
West Chicago Mayor Ruben Pineda says the city is moving in the right direction and outlined why during his recent State of the City address.
“Things look good for West Chicago,” Pineda told the Daily Herald on Tuesday. “The future looks bright.”
During his May 20 address, Pineda noted the city spent $8 million on capital improvements, including rehabilitating street and sewer infrastructure and replacing a 50-year-old lift station at the train station.
In addition, there was a resurfacing of Technology Boulevard between Roosevelt Road and Fabyan Parkway, where Pineda said 95 acres of the DuPage Business Center are under contract for development, with an additional 34 acres receiving offers.
There also are plans to add a new stop light at Roosevelt Road and Fabyan Parkway as soon as the fall. Pineda said DuPage County plans to widen Fabyan Parkway to four lanes.
New businesses, including Cocoa Notes and Tropical Smoothie, have moved into formerly vacant West Chicago buildings. In addition, the Mosaic Crossing Shopping Center, 1851 N. Neltnor Blvd., is fully occupied for the first time in 20 years.
Pineda said a phased Community Park Master Plan approved last fall by the city council will “bring new life” to the former Kerr-McGee factory site. In 2022, the project received federal funding targeted to help transform the area from a Superfund remediation site to a park.
Pineda also noted the restoration of the Fremont Street Water Tower, which has not been repainted since 1990.
“That’s a biggie. People have been asking for that for a long time,” Pineda told the Daily Herald.
Pineda said 15 West Chicago businesses have expanded operations. The Jel Sert Company has announced a $10 million expansion that will add 50 new jobs to its current base of about 1,000 employees.
Another 72 new businesses eventually will employ more than 400 people, according to Pineda.
The mayor says several housing developments are either completed or in process, including a planned annexation of the 84 single-family home development, Trillium Farms.
Property values in West Chicago increased by $54 million in 2023, said Pineda, adding that they have doubled since 1996.
The city is looking to create a new municipal campus, including a new city hall, while it redevelops Washington Street in a project combining commercial, municipal, public and residential spaces.
The question, Pineda said, is how to pay for all of it. The cost for a new city hall alone, in 2023 dollars, was projected at up to $14.6 million. In March, a bond issue was suggested for a new city hall, to be repaid by increased property taxes.
“We have all the amenities, a train station, a walkable downtown, and I want residents to have a destination point,” Pineda said of the municipal campus.
He also highlighted a new Veterans Day Banner Program, said the city council more than doubled contributions to the DuPage Senior Citizens Council, and talked about activities such as an Aug. 24 food festival and a new “Fit 4 Fall 5K” on Sept. 21 along the Prairie Path in Reed-Keppler Park.
