Batavia to see new subdivision, new businesses open in 2023

With new businesses and a brand-new subdivision arriving in the new year, 2023 already is shaping up to be busy for Batavia.

Developer Pulte Homes plans to build 163 homes in the new Winding Creek subdivision, which is located on McKee Street, just west of Randall Road.

“They actually have two model homes that are open,” Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman said.

Newman said units are available for sale.

Federal grant for food bank

Batavia will receive a $3 million grant from the federal government, secured by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, that will allow the Batavia Food Pantry to move to a new location. The funding will be used to either build or purchase a new 20,000-square-foot facility for the pantry.

The food pantry vacating its current location will allow for additional city projects, including the city’s wastewater treatment plant beginning a new phase of renovations and equipment upgrades, Newman said.

“Moving the food pantry allows us to utilize their old location. We can take that building down and use that as the site of the new headworks for the plant,” she said. “So all of this is sort of going to be happening hand in hand.”

New businesses

New restaurants are expected to open in the city in 2023, Batavia Chamber of Commerce President Margaret Perreault said. New arrivals to Batavia include Chicken Salad Chick, located in the former Crabby Boil building; Everdine’s Grilled Cheese on Wilson Street; and the vegan New Moon Bakery, which recently graduated to its own location after a successful run as one of the city’s Boardwalk Shops.

“There’s so much going on here, it’s a really great time to be in Batavia,” Perreault said. “Currently [the Boardwalk Shops] are taking applications for new businesses that want to open up next year.”

Perreault said a new endowment, the Batavia Chamber Community Enhancement Fund, which was created this past year, could help promote new business growth.

“The mission of the program is going to be that we’re going to give micro-loans to businesses that may not be able to find traditional funding through banks,” she said.

Applications for the fund are open, and Perreault is hopeful businesses will get a decision within the first half of 2023.

Community flag design contest

Batavians with a creative eye can look forward to the community flag design contest early this year, Perreault said.

“Batavia has an emblem, but we don’t have a community flag,” she said. “We have a committee of, I think there’s eight people on the committee, and we are conducting a design contest currently to have people submit their ides of what a Batavia community flag should look like.”

Perreault said flag designs are due March 1. Contest guidelines can be found at https://www.bataviaflag.org/.

The winning flag will be available for purchase, with a portion of proceeds going to Batavia’s new Flag Day Monument, Perreault said.

“I’m super optimistic going into 2023,” she said.