The Grove is a 760-acre proposed Master Planned Community that could feature a variety of land uses such as open space, civic, residential, commercial, retail, data center, distribution, medical office.

At this time, The Grove is not approved. We anticipate submitting formal petition to the Village of Sugar Grove for zoning and annexation in 2024. The project will then undergo Village review and follow the Planning Commission and Village Board process for zoning and annexation petitions.

At least 200 acres of community open space, both natural and maintained, would be included in The Grove. This includes the preservation of the large tree grove located in the southeast corner of the I-88/Route 47 interchange.

Sugar Grove, LLC is the owner of the property. Crown Community Development (CCD), an affiliate of Sugar Grove LLC, will oversee and manage the development of this project.

We recognize the community’s desire for more input beyond those opportunities offered under the Village Ordinance. We are proposing the following to provide additional opportunities to stay informed and provide public comment:

• Public Engagement - We will present our plan to the community in an open forum for public comment.
• Project webpage - This page will be updated with information regarding the project on a routine basis and will offer the local community opportunities to ask questions. Commonly asked questions may be added to our FAQ.
• Social media - We will encourage community members to follow our official social media pages for accurate and the most up-to-date project information.

The annexation and zoning petition will be submitted to the Village in 2024 for review. The Village process is expected to take 5-6 months to complete. If our petition is approved, we anticipate that Phase 1 construction will commence in 2024. Full buildout is projected to occur over a 10-year period, and this timeframe could increase or decrease based on market conditions.

The Grove may have up to 1500 residential units which would include a combination of single family, active adult townhomes, duplexes, and multifamily homes.

The Grove PDD zoning request will be flexible in order to accommodate commercial, retail, office, medical office and multi-family uses in Grove Park. Distribution and data center uses in Grove Park are also part of the PDD zoning request, but those uses would be restricted to Lot 1 located east of Route 47, north of the interchange and not permitted to directly front Route 47 (see concept land plan for location of Lot 1).

• How many square feet of distribution is proposed?
Our zoning petition will include a proposed cap on total distribution building area of 3.5M square feet. This is subject to Village review and is not approved.

• What is a TIF?
• Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a special funding tool used to spur economic growth that would not otherwise be achieved.
• At the time of TIF District creation, the property assessed value is frozen at the current amount for a period of 23 years.
• As development occurs, the property value increases, and the property taxes associated with the incremental increase in assessed value reimburses TIF eligible costs that were advanced by The Grove.
• Is the TIF approved?
• The TIF is not approved.
• We anticipate petitioning for a TIF in 2024. We will follow the Village process and State Statute in regard to the TIF request.
• How does the TIF impact Village residents?

The Developer of The Grove must pay in advance for TIF eligible development costs, with the only source of reimbursement to the Developer coming from property taxes generated within The Grove on increased assessed value. If those property taxes are not sufficient to reimburse the Developer for TIF eligible costs invested in the project, there are no remedies for the Developer, and the Developer will not be fully reimbursed for these costs.

• Why does The Grove need a TIF?
• The land would otherwise continue to be economically underutilized without a TIF.
• The TIF is essential to creating economic development and growth anticipated for this area, including new jobs and tax revenue.
• The TIF is essential to creating economic development and growth anticipated for this area
• Total project costs far exceed the revenues The Grove could generate.
• How does the TIF impact taxing bodies within the District?
• All taxing bodies within the TIF District would continue to receive their share of the property taxes associated with the frozen assessed value
• Illinois TIF Statue provides criteria for evaluating the financial impact of each new student The Grove adds to the School District on an annual basis. If a shortfall is determined, the School District would receive funding out of the increment calculated in accordance with the rules in the State Statute. The goal is to ensure that School Districts remain whole over the life of the TIF.
• 10% of the increment generated on an annual basis would flow to the Village of Sugar Grove, providing the Village with the opportunity to rebate those funds back to the taxing bodies on a pro rata basis or utilize the funds to make additional TIF eligible improvements.
• After the 23-year TIF period expires, property taxes generated within The Grove from its increased assessed value would flow directly to taxing bodies. These new property taxes wouldn’t otherwise be generated without the support of a TIF to fund infrastructure and drainage improvements.
• Is The Grove asking for a $338M TIF?

No, this amount was determined by a third-party consultant commissioned by the Village of Sugar Grove and reflects the maximum amount that the TIF could support relative to full redevelopment of the site. It does not represent what we anticipate requesting in our formal proposal to the Village. The figure referenced in the study represents the maximum allowable amount of TIF funding, which far exceeds what Sugar Grove, LLC will request in its application.

• What is the purpose of the Eligibility Report and Redevelopment Plan and Project?

This report serves to establish whether the land meets TIF eligibility requirements and to outline the revitalization program, including the categories of allowable expenditures and maximum expenditures, which are requirements of the TIF Act. The maximum expenditure number represents what the Village of Sugar Grove could potentially fund for this development. Again, it does not represent what we anticipate requesting in our formal proposal to the Village, which will be much lower.

• What eligibility requirements did The Grove property meet to qualify for a TIF?

Illinois TIF regulations require the site to meet one of several eligibility factors under the One-Factor Test to determine if the site is eligible for a TIF. The Eligibility Report concluded the property met the following factor: The area, prior to its designation, is subject to or contributes to chronic flooding.

• How many new truck trips per day would Grove Park generate?
The distribution use is estimated to generate 365 trucks per day or 730 daily truck trips. Based on a review of existing truck traffic patterns in the area, approximately 80% of the site-generated truck traffic would travel to/from I-88. Therefore, limited truck traffic is expected to travel north of Seavey Road and south of the I-88 interchange. With the distribution use, approximately 10% of site-generated truck traffic is expected to travel north of Seavey and the remaining approximately 10% of site generated truck traffic would travel south of Finley, increasing overall truck trips on IL 47 by approximately 3% as compared to existing conditions.

The trip generation estimate is based on industry-accepted data in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 11th Edition. ITE data is based on empirical trip generation surveys conducted at distribution uses across the United States. The traffic study assumes a conservatively high estimate of site-generated traffic for the distribution use. Actual truck trips per day are anticipated to be less than reflected in the traffic study due to the mix of uses that are likely to locate in the business park.
• What if an end user generates additional truck traffic?
The traffic impact study will establish trip thresholds and offsite improvements required for the development. For the end user(s) identified for the distribution use, operational characteristics (e.g., employee headcount, shift hours, truck operations) will be reviewed relative to the assumptions and trip thresholds established in the traffic impact study. Should a unique end user with higher trip counts be identified for the site, additional analysis will be required. The additional analysis would be subject to Village and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) review and approval.

The traffic impact study will be included with the zoning and annexation petition to the Village (anticipated to be submitted in Fall 2023). The traffic impact study will be subject to Village and IDOT review and approval.