Hinsdale Residents 'Appalled' With Owner Of $4M Building

HINSDALE, IL – No one can know for sure how Hinsdale residents generally felt about the tree dispute between Fuller Road residents and the owner of a $4 million building under construction.

At last week's Village Board meeting, Village President Tom Cauley said the village received hundreds of emails about the controversy.

He did not say if the emails were feedback from residents or messages from the two sides in the battle.

Through a public records request, Patch sought all the emails from residents about the issue. The village provided nine.

All the messages were in support of the Fuller Road residents, not the owner of the building, Dr. Cara VanWormer-Hartman, a chiropractor.

The emails had the feel of an organized campaign. Seven of the nine used the same greeting, "Dear Hinsdale BOT Members," referring to the Board of Trustees, the Village Board's official title.

Several included identical sentences. They all arrived the same day as the meeting, with one coming in after the board made its decision.

In 2021, the contractor for VanWormer-Hartman got rid of the trees on the south property line of her building, 110 E. Ogden Ave. That violated a promise she made at a Village Board meeting.

Fuller Road residents Jared and Kelly Staver, who live just south of the building, protested the action. The elimination of the trees meant the Stavers had a clear view of Ogden Avenue, they said.

They also said some of the trees were on their property, which VanWormer-Hartman disputed.

Last week, the Village Board approved a new landscaping plan, which included trees between the Stavers and the two-story building.

The Stavers opposed the plan and asked for a second row of trees. They accused Cauley of breaking his word.

Just two weeks earlier, the Stavers appeared to have an edge over VanWormer-Hartman. That was when Cauley accused the contractor of lying to the police about the planting of trees.

In several emails, residents used the same wording in calling for trustees to require the contractor to plant the second row of taller trees, reflecting the Stavers' request.

"We are appalled by the way the owner and contractors have treated their neighbors and have been allowed to continue to move forward with the project without action to remedy the situation," the emails said. "We expect the Village of Hinsdale to protect the residents and their properties."

Resident Courtney Schaeffer used different wording than the others.

"The owner of 110 E. Ogden (is) causing such problems and not being good neighbors," she wrote. "I am surprised that the board has let this go on for so long to the residents of Hinsdale property. Please fix it."

Her email was shown as being sent shortly before 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18. By that point, the board had made its decision that evening.