Social media giant Facebook picked the City of DeKalb for its latest technology campus and City Manager Bill Nicklas talked about the transformational project at the August 19 Sycamore Rotary meeting. Work is already underway at the Facebook site which is south of Gurler Road between Route 23 and Peace Road south of Interstate 88. Nicklas praised the cooperation of multiple government entities in making the project a reality. He noted special help from State Representative and Sycamore Rotarian Jeff Keicher and State Representative Tom Demmer who committed road improvement funds to the project. He also noted the infrastructure advantages of abundant water resources, electrical power, and high-speed internet fiber that made the site viable when competing against 50 other locations. Other favorable factors in their site selection according to Nicklas were two nearby Tollway interchanges, a strong labor force, and a rural setting that was still close to a large metro area.
Total investment in the 505-acre technology campus by Facebook is around $800 million. Coupled with the nearby Ferrara Candy Company packaging and logistics center, local industrial tax valuation will get a boost from about four percent to about thirteen percent of total tax base. Assuming occupancy for site buildings in 2021, this should translate to tax relief in other categories beginning in 2022. The combined projects are expected to create a minimum of 500 new jobs. Facebook also intends to invest in community and non-profit activities through their charitable grants program. Nicklas said it was an honor and privilege to be the point person for the Facebook development.