Darien 'Political Triangle' Seen As Problem

DARIEN, IL – A Darien alderman expressed concerns with a vacant property at a key intersection that he calls the local "political triangle."

At Monday's City Council meeting, Alderman Tom Chlystek pointed to the property on the northeast side of Plainfield and Clarendon Hills roads. It's where political signs are often posted.

The property, Chlystek said, is now on the market for $75,000 and was at least twice that price a couple of years ago. He suggested the council consider buying it.

In response, Mayor Joseph Marchese said city officials had been looking at that property for months as one of the community's "key development parcels."

The parcel, the mayor said, is an "undevelopable corner" because it is a floodplain.

"If we build anything on it, it would have to be built on stilts because it gathers a lot of water," Marchese said. "We would prefer to have the owner of the property to donate it to the city of Darien."

The city, he said, could make the property look nice.

"We could fix it up because the political signs do make it look kind of bad during political season," Marchese said.