Batavia IL (Chicago, Naperville, St. Charles: 2015, crime rate, home)

[Dad01]

How are properties in Batavia IL from the perspective of investment?
do they retain their value?
are there Prospect of it being the next naperville like town?
Schools ?
Crime rate ?
from my research last two are good, but want to get their perspective of people living there
Thanks

[flamadiddle]

You should post this in the Chicago Suburb forum. I just moved to the Fox Valley area (St. Charles) and this is a fantastic area, but home prices are in a bit of a slump right now. That may mean that they're "on sale' right now, but only time will tell. It's a bit of a haul if you need to commute downtown, but other than that, definitely a nice area.

[ToriaT]

Batavia is nice but it won't be the next Naperville. I believe you have to go into Geneva to get a train to the city. Its just too slightly far away west to be among the most popular suburbs. Still, if there is a reason to move there such as job is close by it can be an attractive choice.

[pvande55]

Excellent if you work at Fermilab. Not a bad commute to Naperville. Of course if Fermilab shuts down, that land will be ripe for development. What that will do for property values is anyone's guess.

[4122]

The main things going against Batavia is the distance from the city, no Metra, and that the schools are ranked lower than nearby Geneva and Saint Charles.

However, it is right by the expressway which is a big advantage over Geneva and Saint Charles. Schools are also still very good. Prices are still recovering, but better than the other far West suburbs besides Geneva and Saint Charles.

[aga412]

Originally Posted by 4122

The main things going against Batavia is the distance from the city, no Metra, and that the schools are ranked lower than nearby Geneva and Saint Charles.

However, it is right by the expressway which is a big advantage over Geneva and Saint Charles. Schools are also still very good. Prices are still recovering, but better than the other far West suburbs besides Geneva and Saint Charles.

Not much lower, and Batavia typically beats out STC North or East and is never the bottom ranked school in the area, at least not in recent years.

Batavia won't be the next Naperville, but that's by intent. I don't think Batavia has designs to grow to nearly a size of 200,000.

[JoePO]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Excellent if you work at Fermilab. Not a bad commute to Naperville. Of course if Fermilab shuts down, that land will be ripe for development. What that will do for property values is anyone's guess.

I wouldn't worry about Fermilab shutting down within the next 20-25 years...

[chet everett]

Although the largest of Fermilab's accelerators, the Tevatron, has been offline for about 5 years the lab remains the US center for particle physics and has a range of other accelerators / experimental facilities that will remain active for the foreseeable future. Fermilab | Science | Particle Accelerators | Fermilab's Accelerator Complex Projects like DUNE, G minus 2, and Mu2E are fully funded global efforts.

The Federal Government has a major investment in Wilson Hall and it is foolish to speculate that any part of the site would ever be sold off -- Fermilab History and Archives Project | Robert Rathbun Wilson Hall

Only California has more DOE labs, and the fact that both Argonne and Fermi are part of the "top tier" of labs part of the Science Office is one the least understood advantages that Illinois has when it comes to collaboration with premier universities around the globe -- Laboratories | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

[JoePO]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Although the largest of Fermilab's accelerators, the Tevatron, has been offline for about 5 years the lab remains the US center for particle physics and has a range of other accelerators / experimental facilities that will remain active for the foreseeable future. Fermilab | Science | Particle Accelerators | Fermilab's Accelerator Complex Projects like DUNE, G minus 2, and Mu2E are fully funded global efforts.

The Federal Government has a major investment in Wilson Hall and it is foolish to speculate that any part of the site would ever be sold off -- Fermilab History and Archives Project | Robert Rathbun Wilson Hall

Only California has more DOE labs, and the fact that both Argonne and Fermi are part of the "top tier" of labs part of the Science Office is one the least understood advantages that Illinois has when it comes to collaboration with premier universities around the globe -- Laboratories | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Chet, your abilities with Google are well known on C-D, but maybe in future let someone who actually has worked there for over 27 yeas and is now a senior level physicist (i.e., me) do the FNAL PR here, 'K?

Because truth be known DUNE/LBNF has not gotten "full funding" and LBNF (the accelerator and facility part of the long baseline neutrino program) has only gotten CD3a approval - which is approval by DOE for long-lead time procurements and far site conventional construction ("CD" stands for "Critical Decision" - a DOE project review/approval milestone). The review/approval for CD3b (additional long term construction) and CD2 (project baseline, cost, schedule) and CD3 (begin technical systems construction) will not occur until 2019. Additionally, even when one receives all the CD2/3 approvals from DOE (like Mu2e which has just received CD3c approval), here in the US projects only receive funding on a year-by-year basis - congress can (and has) zeroed out budget of projects that were well into the CD3 (construction) phase (e.g., BTev, SSC). There is no such thing as "fully-funded" in US science.

You also don't mention PIP-II, an accelerator upgrade project that is crucial to the highest intensity operation of LBNF. This is a $ 800M project that has received CD0 approval (mission need) but we will not be having the CD1 (analysis of alternatives, conceptual design) review until 2017 and CD2 (baseline design/cost) review/approval until 2018. We hope for a construction start (CD3 approval) in 2019.

So while I am (obviously) bullish on Fermilab's future science/accelerator program, each year it always comes down to "show me the money". We have had layoffs and declining budgets in recent years, and it is not inconceivable that the program could contract significantly if congress decides to cut funding for basic physics research. Even now, we have "survived" in my division by undertaking a major "Work for Others" project - building the accelerator for SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source-II. Without the funding this is bringing in, we'd have had to lay off 30-50+ people who have critical skills needed for e.g., PIP-II.

OK - sorry for the thread hijack...

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by JoePO

Chet, your abilities with Google are well known on C-D, but maybe in future let someone who actually has worked there for over 27 yeas and is now a senior level physicist (i.e., me) do the FNAL PR here, 'K?

Because truth be known DUNE/LBNF has not gotten "full funding" and LBNF (the accelerator and facility part of the long baseline neutrino program) has only gotten CD3a approval - which is approval by DOE for long-lead time procurements and far site conventional construction ("CD" stands for "Critical Decision" - a DOE project review/approval milestone). The review/approval for CD3b (additional long term construction) and CD2 (project baseline, cost, schedule) and CD3 (begin technical systems construction) will not occur until 2019. Additionally, even when one receives all the CD2/3 approvals from DOE (like Mu2e which has just received CD3c approval), here in the US projects only receive funding on a year-by-year basis - congress can (and has) zeroed out budget of projects that were well into the CD3 (construction) phase (e.g., BTev, SSC). There is no such thing as "fully-funded" in US science.

You also don't mention PIP-II, an accelerator upgrade project that is crucial to the highest intensity operation of LBNF. This is a $ 800M project that has received CD0 approval (mission need) but we will not be having the CD1 (analysis of alternatives, conceptual design) review until 2017 and CD2 (baseline design/cost) review/approval until 2018. We hope for a construction start (CD3 approval) in 2019.

So while I am (obviously) bullish on Fermilab's future science/accelerator program, each year it always comes down to "show me the money". We have had layoffs and declining budgets in recent years, and it is not inconceivable that the program could contract significantly if congress decides to cut funding for basic physics research. Even now, we have "survived" in my division by undertaking a major "Work for Others" project - building the accelerator for SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source-II. Without the funding this is bringing in, we'd have had to lay off 30-50+ people who have critical skills needed for e.g., PIP-II.

OK - sorry for the thread hijack...

Your interjection is not unwelcome. In addition to my skills with the "google machine" I have several close connections to both current employees of Fermi, the greater DOE employment pool, and several friends that have experience with Argonne or the UofC consortium.

The various pressures on individual projects are rather common in academic settings and though layoffs are often floated the relative stability compared to private sector employment is outstanding.

Speaking of which, my inside connections include DOE employees that have dealt with the disposition of real property that is no longer needed for the mission of other sites. When it comes to suggestions that the nearly 7000 acres of Fermi lab would ever be 'redeveloped" the only precedent for such things is the far more modest transfer of Los Alamos property for residential use, given the lack of demand for construction in the great region and issues related to schools as well as other infrastructure it is not realistic to suggest that local governments would push for such things here...
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2...OE_LM-1475.pdf
Batavia School District 101 proposing balanced budget | Kane County Chronicle