Park 88 Group seeks to rezone 102-acre site near Lincoln Highway to industrial

DeKALB – Owners of Park 88 industrial park in DeKalb, where the Target Distribution center and 3M sit, are looking to rezone a portion of the park for future development.

City Principal Planner Dan Olson said there are no current projects in the pipeline for development, but Park 88 Group LLC wants to get the space ready should any developers wish to bring more industry or business into DeKalb. The rezoning petition will go in front of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the DeKalb Municipal Building for a public hearing. Park 88 is 570 acres located on the west side of Peace Road, south of East Lincoln Highway and north of Fairview Drive.

The 570-acre industrial park includes a 102-acre site known as the Orr parcel, which was annexed in 2007, according to city documents. That site is zoned for single-family residences, and the Park 88 Group is looking to have it rezoned to industrial to ready it for development.

Paul Borek, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, said Monday he isn’t aware of any planned development, but often works with Park 88 owners to encourage business growth in DeKalb.

“We work a great deal with Park 88 to collaborate and recruit industry, make proposals and presentations for potential projects,” Borek said. “Park 88 has been very productive for the city over the years with the Target Distribution Center and 3M building, and they’re always pretty aggressive in identifying potential opportunities.”

Olson said the rezoning agreements would not effect the Target or 3M buildings, because those companies own their buildings.