A proposal by Chicago-based real estate company Bridge Industrial to redevelop the 101-acre campus of Baxter International’s headquarters into an industrial business park is drawing backlash from residents in Deerfield and Riverwoods, who say the project would congest nearby roadways and negatively impact the environment.

An online petition opposed to the redevelopment plan has eclipsed more than 3,000 signees ahead of a Deerfield Plan Commission hearing Thursday, in which representatives of Bridge Industrial will present their proposal for Deerfield to annex the Baxter site, which is located just off Interstate 94 in unincorporated Lake County, between Riverwoods and Deerfield.

Bridge Industrial is seeking zoning changes from Deerfield to allow for industrial uses at the site, in addition to the annexation. If approved and a property sale is finalized, the current buildings would be demolished to make way for two, large industrial facilities as well as a proposed recreational facility, according to the proposal.

Riverwoods residents Caron Blitz and Barbara Raff, who live off Saunders Road directly across from the Baxter headquarters, were surprised when they heard of what might be in store for the site.

Surprise progressed to frustration once Blitz and Raff — part of the Thorngate subdivision, which is home to more than 300 families — when they learned of the estimated 10% increase in traffic on Saunders Road, as more than 600 trucks would be expected to pass through the complexes each day.

“If you look at the names of our communities — Deerfield, Riverwoods — they are symbolic of why we all moved here,” Blitz said.

Residents entering and exiting Thorngate at the traffic signal at Saunders Road and Thorngate Lane would have to share the roadway with a host of trucks, rather than typical passenger vehicles primarily used by Baxter employees.

Blitz believes that could create traffic congestion frequently for everyone involved, especially as children go to and from school in the morning and afternoon, and during typical peak traffic hours in the early evening.

“The heaviest traffic is estimated to be during commuting time, and there’s a middle school around the corner,” Blitz said. “And as traffic bottlenecks on the surrounding roadways, it’s going to delay kids getting to school (and) people getting to work. So, that is one of our main concerns regarding trucking.”

Raff, who is the president of the Thorngate Homeowners Association, said that residents who have attempted to access materials related to the proposal on the village website have had their computers crash, and that more should have been done to engage the public in advance of the hearing.

She said residents who have tried to download information posted by the village about the proposal have had their computers freeze or crash, and said that information was not made available to the public in a timely manner before the hearing. She also mentioned the warehouses’ combined size would be the equivalent of about 17 football fields.

Bridge Industrial’s plan calls for an 896,700-square-foot speculative industrial building and a multi-tenant industrial building that would be 228,450 square feet. The concept for a recreational facility includes a full-sized, indoor soccer field, an indoor baseball field and six outdoor pickleball courts.

Blitz said the surrounding areas in Riverwoods, Deerfield and Northbrook are “beautiful,” and that Baxter, which developed its headquarter campus in 1972, “has been a great neighbor, up until now.”

The Tribune reported on Baxter’s plans for layoffs in February after the company signaled its intent to sell its 645,688-square-foot headquarters in 2022.

Beyond congestion, Blitz said residents are worried about fossil fuel and noise emissions from drastically increased truck traffic.

“The trucks will back up and then idle, and that will add not only to the congestion, but to the air and noise pollution,” she said. “You know how it is if you’re near trucks, and they go into a different gear and what that sounds like?”

According to the proposal, the industrial buildings would, “be able to accommodate a variety of uses including warehouse, distribution, assembly and light manufacturing.” It adds that the Deerfield Park District, “expressed a high level of interest in leasing the recreational facility, which has been designed to meet their needs,” though it has also noted the facility could be “converted to industrial” use if necessary.

Deerfield’s Plan Commission has seven resident members whose appointments are approved by the Village Board. No decision by the commission is anticipated on Thursday night, but the project will need the commission’s approval before the Village Board could take a vote on annexing the land.

Blitz said residents are reaching out to local politicians to enlist their help, as well as Baxter executives, and added there is a “great misunderstanding” about the part of Bridge Industrial’s concept for a recreational facility on the property.

“I just want to make it clear to all of the residents and all of the surrounding communities, that there’s a big difference between intent and commitment,” Blitz said. “And the developer has conveniently pre-included an option to turn this proposed center into yet another warehouse. A wise person can bet on where that is going to go.”

Attempts to reach representatives of Bridge Industrial or Baxter International were unsuccessful.

Bridge Industrial has carried out projects all around the Chicago suburbs in recent years, according to its website, and has redeveloped properties in Waukegan, Mundelein, Cicero, Franklin Park, Downers Grove and Itasca.

The Waukegan site, like the proposal for the site in unincorporated Lake County, is located just off I-94 and has tenants such as Amazon, Visual Pak Logistics and Hub Dub.

A news release announcing the company had won an industrial speculative development of the year award from NAIOP Chicago, a commercial real estate organization, touted how, “an obsolete office site was transformed into one of the most premier business parks in the state.”

That’s exactly the sort of thing Raff says her neighbors are united against.

“Our public has a lot to say,” Raff said. “We’re hoping this continues in an open dialogue.”