Behind The Scenes? Burr Ridge Mayor Resents The Charge

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso said this week he resented the charge that the village is handling the development of a major site behind the scenes.

He was responding to comments from a member of an ad hoc committee he appointed to take local feedback on the fate of the CNH Industrial property at 6900 Veterans Boulevard.

During a Village Board meeting, Mary Bradley, a committee member who lives in the nearby Carriage Way subdivision, said she had a sense that much disagreement was taking place about what was going on behind the scenes.

She also said she feared homeowners near the CNH site would be thrown under the bus.

Grasso said the village would not do that.

"To some extent, I'm resenting the fact that people think that things have been done behind the scenes," he said.

Then Grasso blamed a Burr Ridge Park District board member for revealing a preliminary plan for the CNH property last summer. The plan included a Costco that neighbors opposed once they found out about it. Grasso said the village wanted to get some thoughts from the park board, whose jurisdiction includes Harvester Park, which is next to CNH.

In July, the park board discussed the initial plan in a closed meeting. (The decision to close the doors is under investigation by the attorney general.)

The park board member, Grasso said, made it seem as if "some stuff was going on, quote, behind the scenes."

It's not unusual for developers to approach Burr Ridge with initial plans, the mayor said, prompting the village to approach stakeholders such as the park district. Often, though, such plans never come to fruition, he said.

After the plan leaked in early August, the village issued a news release about the possible development. However, it stressed the developer had not yet submitted a petition. That remains the case.

Recent public records requests have revealed that despite Grasso's statements, much was going on behind the scenes.

Village emails since last year show that Burr Ridge's administrator, Evan Walter, repeatedly exchanged messages with Costco's site location consultant, Mike Stratis, who is also a member of the village's Plan Commission.

In those emails, Walter told Stratis that a Costco was a "must" in the development.

In response to a Patch inquiry in April, Walter said he had no knowledge of a Costco being considered at the CNH site. This was despite months of emails to the contrary.

At this week's Village Board meeting, Grasso said all the CNH ad hoc committee meetings would be open to the public.