With the start of a new year, residents of Plainfield who look back on 2015 will notice a significant amount of economic development and change has occurred over the past year. And, that trend is set to continue in 2016.
Downtown is perhaps the area undergoing the most change. The historic Trolley Barn on Lockport Street, which was once the home of the Joliet, Plainfield and Aurora Trolley Company, is currently under renovation. The Trolley Barn building will have floor to ceiling glass-fronts, according to the village.
The Trolley Barn is expected to be the commercial anchor to the western edge of downtown, according to village planner Michael Garrigan. Plans for the area also include commercial space to the west of the building, as well as a possible outdoor patio and restaurant.
Renovations to the Railoc building, which is located east of the Trolley Barn, are also ongoing. The building will serve as the corporate headquarters for Sheffield Construction Company.
Additionally, a new 4,000-square-foot addition to Plainfield’s historic Opera House, located at Lockport Street and Illinois, is under construction. This addition will provide new retail space along Illinois Street and space for a high-end steak and fish restaurant on the second floor.
In 2015, Plainfield also welcomed new businesses to the downtown area.
Milette’s Cakes opened at 24044 W. Lockport St. According to the business’ website, the store specializes in custom and 3D cakes, as well as cookies and brownies. Blu, Elemental Yarns, Sovereign and Volar also opened last year.
Later this month, the Asian restaurant Mora is set to open in the historic Town Hall building, which dates back to the turn of the 19th century.
Route 59 Corridor and Beyond
In addition to the downtown area, several new projects are underway on Route 59.
A Pet Supplies Plus and an AT&T store are expected to open in the early part of 2016 in a new 15,600-square-foot retail building at the southeast corner of 135th Street and Route 59.
Additionally, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts is under construction and a new NAPA Auto Parts Store will soon be under construction on 135th Street. The village said these two new stores add to an already strong sector of auto-related businesses in Plainfield.
A number of other new businesses joined the Route 59 Corridor in 2015, including Blueberry Hill, Goldfish Swim School, Ross Dress for Less and Twisted Cork-n-Canvas.
Goldfish Swim School opened in the fall at the company’s newest location on Rhea Drive. Co-owner and CEO Randall Barba told the Enterprise earlier this year that they decided to open th new location because a large number of Plainfield residents were attending their location in Naperville. Barba added that they chose Plainfield because it’s a, “great, growing community.”
Plainfield’s medical community also continued to grow over the last year.
Presence Medical opened a new 25,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building this fall that anchors the growing medical campus at Dayfield and Route 59. The Healing Arts Pavillion, which opened to patients Sept. 28, delivers outpatient services such as primary care, specialty care, laboratory, imaging and physical therapy.
Among the projects set for 2016, a 6,000-square-foot addition to the Edward Medical Office Building at Dayfield and Route 59 is under construction expected to be complete early this year.
Additionally, a new kidney dialysis center was approved by the village board in July and should be under construction in 2016 on Route 59, north of Riverwalk Court. The 8,500-square-foot center will fill a hole between the old police station and an empty building to the south. Village Trustee Bill Lamb said the center would be a welcome addition and “needed service.”
The housing market in Plainfield also continued to recover in 2015. The village said Ryan Homes and Frontier Homes reported strong sales at Springbank and Creekside Crossing, respectively. A number of new developments are starting home sales, including Somerset at Grande Park and NextGen’s new neighborhood in Springbank.
The village said it anticipates strong sales will continue in 2016, adding that several new residential projects will be entitled for future development.