The Normal Planning Commission gave its recommendations Thursday to two development plans — another addition to Rivian’s plant in west Normal and a new fire station in the northeast part of town.
The change to Rivian’s site plan would be the sixth such adjustment made as the facility has developed. This time, the electric automaker looks to expand one building and construct a new one.
The plan expands the footprint of the plant by about 208,000 square feet, while the new building would be 1.14 million square feet. The project has two approved variances from the usual general manufacturing zoning rules. The maximum building height has been extended to 65 feet [usually 45], and wayfinding signs on the property will be larger than normally permitted.
Town planner Mercy Davison said Normal is considering raising the height limit for industrial zones anyway, and many other communities have higher limits already.
Representatives from Rivian attended the meeting to answer questions from the commission. They said the new space will streamline the painting process, provide more space for products, and help the company meet production goals for the launch of the R2 model in 2026.
The plan also includes about 2,500 new parking spaces for employees, in accordance with hiring bumps the company expects in the next few years.
The town has set two conditions for the project. The results of a hydrology study and traffic study must first be approved to ensure proper handling of stormwater and minimal disruption to vehicle travel. Results for both studies are expected in the next few months.
Rivian VP of facilities Tony Sanger said the project retains a commitment to sustainable development, and would make significant use of local workers.
“The right way to look at a project like this is ‘it takes a village.’ We’ll find local contractors with lots to do, lots of local trades to do that,” Sanger said.
“But it’s also going to take people coming in from St. Louis or Chicago or Indianapolis to get the volume of people to get this done in the time we need it done in.”
Sanger says the project would be constructed in 14-18 months.
New fire station
The Normal Fire Department has long been hoping to relocate resources to the northeast part of town, where town staff report “challenging response times.”
On Thursday, the planning commission unanimously passed a recommendation for a new station at the corner of Hershey and Shepard Road. The land was rezoned to public use in 2019, and was at that time already intended to host a fire station.
The location is adjacent to the Blackstone subdivision that began development in 2009. About half the neighborhood has been constructed, including the portion nearest to the proposed station.
Some concerns have been raised about light and noise from the building, including one public commenter at Thursday’s meeting, though they acknowledged they do not live in the subdivision. Commission member Jessica Woods said she lives next to another Normal fire station, and has been pleasantly surprised by the lack of disruption.
“I was concerned when we moved into that house of whether it would be disruptive, and it’s not,” Woods said.
“The fire department does a very excellent job of not turning their sirens on at night, if they don’t need to. They have the lights on. They try to take into account the neighborhood and the people around them.”
Woods added she was glad to have emergency services in close proximity to handle cases like a heart attack suffered by her neighbor.
Fire Chief Mick Humer attended the meeting. He said the new station would be filled by existing firefighters and equipment, and that he’s happy to improve response time in an area near nursing home patients and Normal Community High School.
“Since we’ve purchased the property and didn’t build it [the station], we had two structure fires out there. In one of them, an elderly resident had to be rescued by her neighbors because the fire department wasn’t there yet. It takes about nine minutes to respond to Blackstone,” Humer said.
Construction could begin in October, Hume said, and take about a year, depending on the conditions this winter brings. The timeline applies only if the town council approves the plan.
Both the Rivian and fire station plans are set to go before the town council on Aug. 19.
As a matter of disclosure, WGLT executive director R.C. McBride chairs the Normal Planning Commission.
