The Pleasant Prairie Village Board this week approved a development agreement with Waukegan, Ill.-based Uline Inc., which is planning to build a new corporate headquarters southwest of Interstate 94 and County Highway Q in the Kenosha County village just north of the state line. Uline is a distributor of shipping, industrial, and packing materials.
The agreement provides a framework for installation of public infrastructure for the development. Site work has already begun for the project.
The facility will consist of 218,000 square feet of office space and 1 million square feet of distribution space. Construction of the corporate offices is expected to be complete during the spring of 2010. Initially, about 650 employees are expected to work in the Uline headquarters offices. Construction for the distribution space is expected to be complete by the end of 2009. Initially 200 employees will work at the distribution center. Later, in a second phase of the project, Uline plans to add another 200,000 square feet of office space and 800,000 square feet of distribution space. Completion of all phases for the Uline campus is expected to be complete in 2015, and about 1,000 employees are expected to be working on the campus at that time.
As part of the development agreement with the village, Uline has agreed not to build another corporate headquarters until the Pleasant Prairie campus is complete. The company has also agreed not to build any additional distribution space with a 50-mile radius until their distribution space in Pleasant Prairie is complete.
"This will have a significant impact on our local and regional economy," said Village President John Steinbrink Sr. "Not only will Uline bring new, high quality, employment opportunities to southeastern Wisconsin, but their presence will provide another layer of economic diversity and stability in our area."
In a separate agreement, the village has agreed to reimburse the state for a $1 million Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grant if the Uline campus does not create 500 jobs within three years and retain those jobs for an additional four years. Uline has agreed to reimburse the village for the grant if it does not produce the jobs on that timeline. The $1 million TEA grant will be used for road improvements for the Uline campus.
