The 110-acre CNH Industrial site in Burr Ridge, Illinois, highlights a common challenge in suburban America: when a major employer leaves, communities must decide how to balance new development with maintaining local character and stable finances. Burr Ridge is responding to such a challenge by changing how it plans for major redevelopment, aiming to avoid past missteps and set a new standard for suburban growth.
The site, central to Burr Ridge’s identity since International Harvester built there in the 1950s, has been vacant since CNH Industrial’s exit. In August 2025, after months of public opposition, a major industrial developer, Bridge Industrial withdrew its proposal to redevelop the land, prompting village officials to rethink their strategy for one of the Chicago suburbs’ largest available parcels.
A Legacy of Deliberate Planning
Burr Ridge’s development history is shaped by what Mayor Gary Grasso describes as “A Very Special Place,” achieved through thoughtful zoning and careful fiscal management. The Village’s origins as a company town for International Harvester led to zoning for large lots – often five acres or more – giving Burr Ridge an estate-like feel that sets it apart from most Chicago suburbs.
“The Village’s founding fathers and mothers decided that the zoning should be very large lots,” Grasso says. “It was very common back in the 50s and 60s, even well into the 70s, that lots were five acres, two acres, one acre. We very much had an estate feel to the village.”
This approach has resulted in measurable stability. Burr Ridge remains debt-free – a rarity for Illinois municipalities in the Chicagoland region – and has not raised property taxes for six years. Grasso credits this to a focus on sustainable revenue: “We always look for revenue streams before we get into projects, and want to develop those revenue streams and make sure the revenue is dedicated to projects.”
Why the CNH Redevelopment Plan Failed
The collapse of the industrial proposal offers a clear example of the tensions between economic development and community preferences. Bridge Industrial and CNH brought experience and resources, but their vision for the site did not align with residents’ or officials’ preferences.
“They wanted an industrial development on the site,” Grasso says. “We respect what they were trying to accomplish, and to their credit, they did try to create significant green spaces and add some housing components, but in the end, it was not a development that we thought in the long run would meet Burr Ridge’s standards or be beneficial to Burr Ridge residents.”
The inclusion of a Costco warehouse store became especially controversial. While the store promised significant sales tax revenue – a major source of municipal funding – residents strongly objected to increased traffic and a departure from Burr Ridge’s established character.
“Most people think municipalities live and die on property taxes. We do not. We live and die on sales tax and development fees,” Grasso says. “Costco was, from a revenue standpoint, something the Village had to look at seriously, but we had to respect the residents who felt it was just too intense a use.”
Complicating matters, details about the proposal leaked while officials were still conducting feasibility studies. This led to public backlash based on incomplete information and the mistaken belief that decisions had already been made.
“We were trying to see if this could work, and we wanted some initial opinions before we went out and told the public,” Grasso explains. “As we do not have retailers of this size in the community, we were doing more learning than directing. Unfortunately, someone violated the Village’s confidence and prematurely put these plans into public view as if we had already made a decision, which was far from true.”
Learning From Failure: A New Municipal Approach
The Village’s experience with the CNH site has prompted a fundamental change in how Burr Ridge approaches significant developments. Rather than reacting to developer proposals as they arrive, the Village is now hiring professional consultants to define its own vision and market analysis before engaging with potential developers.
“Rather than being passive, which government usually is – you want to develop, bring me the proposal, we’ll look at it and decide if we want it – we have now decided to actually invest in getting our own consultant who will do a site study and give us a market analysis,” Grasso says.
This strategy is designed to give developers clear guidance on what types of projects will be considered, reducing wasted time and resources on proposals unlikely to succeed. “We want to give owners and developers a visionary roadmap that we will find acceptable, rather than they investing a lot of time and money, and then we say no to something.”
For other suburban municipalities with large vacant sites, Burr Ridge’s experience underscores the importance of actively setting development parameters. “The biggest lesson we learned in a project of this size with this much land involved is for the municipality to be proactive and get professionals in that can tell us what the best fit for the community is.”
Balancing Economic Needs and Community Identity
Looking ahead, Grasso is clear that the CNH site should focus on entertainment and retail rather than industrial uses. “It has to be more entertainment, sales tax oriented, and a lot less truck traffic,” he says. “We cannot have a development that has a lot of dock bays that would ask for 24/7 truck traffic.”
Mayor Grasso’s vision includes family-oriented amenities and specialty retail. “Something where families will come out, individuals will come out to use it for athletics, for entertainment, for music – some retail, maybe some specialized or experiential retail.”
This approach matches broader suburban trends influenced by remote work. Businesses now require less office space, opening opportunities for mixed-use development that can boost local revenue while enhancing quality of life.
“Where a business might have 100 employees and need 100 offices, now they may only need 30 or 40 offices, because so many people can work remotely or work two or three days a week,” Grasso says. “So that calls for smaller buildings, necessarily.”
Regional Pressures and the Role of Community Input
Burr Ridge’s position straddling Cook and DuPage counties, with access to Interstates 55 and 294, makes it a prime target for development – and brings complex jurisdictional and traffic challenges.
“We’re subject to what the economics are at any given time, we’re obviously subject to our location,” Grasso notes. The Village’s accessibility is both an asset for attracting visitors and a challenge for managing traffic and maintaining community standards.
Grasso acknowledges that resident opposition is not only expected but necessary for a balanced process: “Every project is going to get scrutinized, and there will always be objectors, and we respect that point of view, but eventually, our Board and I are elected to make the hard choices.”
Setting a New Standard for Suburban Redevelopment
The CNH site is more than a redevelopment opportunity; it’s a test case for how suburbs can adapt to economic shifts while protecting their identity. Burr Ridge’s move toward proactive planning may serve as a model for other communities facing similar challenges.
“This site is so crucial, so big, that we should invest in getting a consultant to help us decide,” Grasso says. “We’re trying to create something new out of the old – the old being that’s where Burr Ridge started, that’s where International Harvester started. And now we’re going to have a new purpose for that site, which will be the future of Burr Ridge.”
The Village’s approach recognizes that suburban development now requires careful balancing of revenue needs, resident quality of life, and long-term community values. By defining expectations up front and engaging residents early, Burr Ridge aims to avoid repeating past missteps and ensure the site benefits the entire community.
For real estate professionals and municipal leaders, Burr Ridge’s experience underscores the value of early community engagement, clear communication, and alignment of development proposals with well-defined municipal goals. As work patterns and resident expectations continue to change, the Village’s strategy may signal a new way forward for suburban redevelopment.
