MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Stop Lyons Township H.S. Sale of Willow Springs Property to Industrial Developers
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UPDATE: Illinois Attorney General Finds LTHS Board in Violation of Open Meetings Act in Land Sale Talks
Lyons Township High School District 204 Board found in violation of Open Meetings Act over Willow Springs land sale discussions, says Illinois Office of the Attorney General in binding opinion. District 204 was ordered to release to the public nearly 3 hours of recordings of closed session minutes from Jan. 23 board meeting. Investigations into seven more closed session meetings remain ongoing. Read the AG ruling and listen to the recordings below.
AUDIO EXCERPT 1: "Their Property Is Going to Be Hurt By This." LTHS picks winners and losers in Willow Springs sale
Here's the first excerpt from the second improper closed session involving the District 204 Board's efforts to sell 70 acres of wooded property it owns in Willow Springs to an industrial builder against current zoning, which prohibits industrial and heavy commercial use. School board members here acknowledge their sale to an industrial company would destroy nearby residential home values and displace local wildlife. Instead of changing course after significant public outcry, they continue the sale for nearly two more months.
AUDIO EXCERPT 2: Lyons Township High School 'Napalms' Relationship with Willow Springs Over Industrial Land Sale
Here's a six-minute excerpt from the second closed session involving the District 204 Board's efforts to keep Willow Springs and Pleasantdale officials out of the loop for months on the $55 million land sale, anger toward Bridge Industrial for speaking directly with Willow Springs after the bid opening in January 2023, and the Board's refusal to sell the property at its current zoning of residential, senior living and light retail because it would hurt their bottom line. The disregard for Willow Springs residents and parents whose children attend Pleasantdale Elementary over the health concerns of an industrial development comes through loud and clear in this excerpt, but listen for yourself.
AUDIO EXCERPT 3: LTHS Questions Park, Calls Willow Springs "Under-Educated" For Supporting Residents Against Industrial
Here's an excerpt from the second closed session involving the District 204 Board's efforts to sell 70 acres of wooded property it owns in Willow Springs to an industrial builder against current zoning, which prohibits industrial and heavy commercial use. LTHS Supt. Brian Waterman questions why Pleasant Dale Park District, which owns land within the LTHS' parcel, would stand up for residents against an industrial development in their backyards if they could make money from it, too. Pleasant Dale Park has been a tremendous ally and advocate for the community throughout this process, and the D204 Board can't understand why, just like them, the park can't put dollars in front of people. Additionally, a board member calls the Village of Willow Springs "under-educated" about the zoning process, even though the Village has said industrial is not allowed on that parcel based on nearly 20 years of zoning code. Finally, the Board once again agrees to not communicate with any affected parties and continue on with soliciting industrial buyers.
AUDIO EXCERPT 4: "They're Never Going to Be Satisfied," Says Lyons Township H.S. Attorney About Willow Springs Residents
In this excerpt, LTHS attorney Ares Dalianis despite hearing public comment to the contrary hours before, tries to convince the Board that a development at current zoning would be met with as much as opposition as the prohibited industrial development LTHS is seeking. The Board then decides to continue not engaging with the Village of Willow Springs over fears they would have to set an agenda and face scrutiny over their plans to sell to an industrial developer in defiance of long-held zoning.
FULL AUDIO: LTHS’ Two Closed Sessions Recordings from Jan. 23 Meeting As Ordered Released by Illinois AG
Closed Session 1 - Held Before Public Meeting
Closed Session 2 - Held Immediately Following Public Meeting
UPDATES
April 21 UPDATE: You've done so much for us already, and we need just a little more help to protect our community from a dangerous industrial development! Illinois Senate Bill 990 will aid in the fight against industrial developers in our residential neighborhood! If you live anywhere in Illinois, fill out a proponent witness slip in support today. It takes 2 minutes and can make all the difference!
March 20 UPDATE: LTHS reveals it received another industrial bid after rejecting the first two offers on Jan. 23, and kept the information hidden from the public until it was compelled to release the records by community FOIA. This statement was released as damage control in advance of the FOIA. Public records also show LTHS solicited more industrial bids AFTER nearly 90 minutes of public comment at its Jan. 23 meeting against industrial development. Here’s a La Grange Patch article detailing the conversations between LTHS and industrial developers.
March 10 UPDATE: LTHS is no longer accepting bids for its Willow Springs property under current terms and conditions, according to a statement. The news release goes on to say: “The Board will continue to explore options on how to maximize the property’s impact for our entire District 204 community. When that time comes, new terms, conditions and pricing would be established.”
JAN. 31 UPDATE: LTHS won't stop the sale and won't lower its industrial-appraised $55M asking price in the face of mounting public pressure. The opposition continues!
JAN. 25 UPDATE: Public records show LTHS was negotiating with high bidder for nearly a year before launching public sale, according to reporting by La Grange Patch.
JAN. 23 UPDATE: LTHS Board rejects Bridge bid on a technicality over earnest money. However, the property still remains for sale at the industrial-appraised price of $55M. After an hour of overwhelmingly negative public comments at its meeting, the LTHS board declined to address the community's concerns and refused to change course. The sale continues and so does the opposition!
JAN. 18, 2023 UPDATE: WGN NEWS reports on community efforts to stop LTHS sale before Jan. 23 Board meeting . Click here to watch.
HOW THIS STARTED - JAN. 11, 2023
The LTHS District 204 Board has fast-tracked the sale of 70-acres of pristine wooded land next to an elementary school, public park and dozens of homes to the highest bidder without ever holding a dedicated public forum
The Lyons Township High School District 204 School Board has decided to sell the 70-acre wooded parcel of land at the corner on Willow Springs Road that extends from 79th Street to German Church Road in Willow Springs, IL.
With zero meetings in the community this would most impact and less than three months after saying they were even exploring a sale, the District 204 Board remains on the verge of selling this property at the industrial-appraised price of $55 million. Even though they rejected the previous two industrial bids on technicalities, the Board says it can negotiate with and sell to any buyer that meets its price.
In short: Despite fierce opposition from our community as well as local elected leaders, the District 204 Board has courted and worked closely with developers that will transform a quiet residential community and elementary school-adjacent property into an industrial corridor. After more than a month of intense backlash, they have shown no signs of changing course.
The property, which contains much of the area's natural wildlife, directly borders homes, Pleasantdale Elementary School and White Buffalo Park. In addition to driving down home values in the area, this potential redevelopment will literally back up against dozens of houses in the area as well as the park and school. This will increase pollution, noise, traffic on an already clogged Willow Springs Road, and put tremendous pressure on stressed public resources in the communities near Willow Springs, Countryside and Burr Ridge.
If you live in the community or have children that attend Pleasantdale Elementary or play in White Buffalo Park, this is a very concerning development.
Do No Harm
LTHS isn’t just a seller. They have a responsibility to the next generation of Lyons Township High School students that attend Pleasantdale Elementary. The land LTHS has priced for industrial development is just steps away from one of the area’s finest schools, and an industrial development will bring increased health and safety risks for our children.
No child should be forced to bump up against a loading dock after taking just 25 steps from the swing set they play on at recess.
Take Action
Ready to take the next step? You can become a supporter of our cause and tell LTHS it’s time to slow down this process and let the Willow Springs, Countryside and Burr Ridge communities have a seat at the table for any potential development in our area.