Penalty Pushed For Hinsdale Dealership

HINSDALE, IL – Even before the pandemic, Hinsdale received complaints about the landscaping at the Land Rover Hinsdale dealership on Ogden Avenue.

The objections are still coming in.

At Tuesday's Village Board meeting, one of the neighbors, Jungoa Bian, said some plants are dying.

Bian, who lives in the 800 block of North Oak Street, urged the village to ensure that Land Rover follows the conditions of its zoning permit.

In late 2019 and early 2020, the village government was bombarded with complaints about the problems with the landscaping.

At one point, Village President Tom Cauley said he had been receiving eight to 10 emails daily about the issue.

"We have a limited amount of staff, and they are spending a disproportionate amount of time on one issue. There are other things that don't get done," Cauley said during a board meeting at the time.

At Tuesday's meeting, Rob McGinnis, the village's community development director, confirmed the dealership complied with the landscaping requirements for a time. But some bushes have not been maintained, he said.

Cauley said it wasn't the village's job to make sure people water their plants. But he said Land Rover must replace the dying ones.

"We hope they live up to their responsibility," he said.

Bian responded, "If they don't observe it, they should get a penalty."

Trustees said it made more sense to water the plants, so they get established. Otherwise, they said, the dealership would end up spending more money by repeatedly buying new plants.

Cauley said the village would reach out to Land Rover about the issue. He raised the possibility of giving the dealership a ticket.

In an interview Thursday, Kevin Jacobs, of the Land Rover dealership, said the business aims to always live up to its responsibilities under the village code.

He said the village contacted the dealership and that four small plants needed to be replaced.

During the board's discussion, some officials questioned whether the plants were the right species for the area. But Jacobs told Patch that it was the neighbors themselves who determined the species.

He said Land Rover wanted to be a friend to the village and the neighbors. He noted the dealership recently provided the police with video evidence of a crime in the neighborhood.