North Shore residents protest sprawling industrial development at former Baxter International HQ

DEERFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- North Shore residents are mounting an opposition to a sprawling industrial development that would bump up against their backyards.

A petition against the development is nearing 5,000 signatures. A meeting was held at Deerfield High School with representatives from Bridge Industrial to give them an opportunity to express their concerns.

The gymnasium was packed with hundreds of North Shore residents united against the redevelopment of Baxter International headquarters into an industrial site.

"We're worried about is true devastation and people leaving this beautiful area, because we don't want to be living next to a warehouse," said Riverwoods resident Lisa Rosen.

Baxter International hopes to sell its 101 acre property to Bridge International, which is based in Chicago. The company laid out its proposal to annex the property to Deerfield and rezone the area for industrial and recreational use.

"We're proposing to redevelop this land to a modern state of the art, environmentally conscious Class A corporate campus for industrial tenants," said John Pozerycki, Chicago Market Officer for Bridge Industrial.

Bridge International put a new addition to their proposal to donate land and funds to develop an outdoor village park facility, but the crowd appeared unimpressed.

An hour before the Plan Commission met, a group of neighbors protested outside, later taking their signs and holding them up throughout the meeting, ensuring their concerns were seen.

"We're talking about semi-trucks, semi-trailers that are going to be really huge," Rosen said. "So we worry about pollution of noise, health, environments."

"We've oriented this in a northern south direction so all the trucks that will come on site will stay in the center of the site," Pozerycki said.

Bridge International said their plan hopes to address neighbors' concerns, but many said they hope the village puts a stop to the plan entirely.

"This is really about what are your constituents- What are your taxpayers want in our area, in our world," Rosen said.

There was no public comment tonight. Village leaders said in June neighbors will get a chance to share their views.