5th Town Opposes LTHS Land Effort

LA GRANGE, IL – Countryside is the fifth town to come out against Lyons Township High School's plan for industrial development on its Willow Springs land.

The other towns are Willow Springs, Burr Ridge, Hodgkins and Indian Head Park. That's in addition to Pleasantdale School District 107 and Pleasant Dale Park District.

At Tuesday's Lyons Township High School board meeting, Countryside Alderman John Van Drasek said the development of the 71 acres would worsen area traffic.

He read a letter that he said was authorized by the Countryside City Council.

In it, Countryside goes a step further than the other towns – calling for no development on the vacant land.

The other towns seem fine with development that follows Willow Springs zoning, which bars industrial uses for the property in question.

At the meeting, Van Drasek said traffic congestion on Willow Springs Road is already a serious problem for southside Countryside residents.

"The proposed sale of the development of the 70-acre site would exacerbate existing traffic congestion and would cause additional noise and air pollution concerns to our residents," Van Drasek said. "For this reason, we ask that your administration work to preserve the land as open space."

He said Countryside was willing to seek money from the county and the state to make that happen.

Like other officials, Van Drasek said he understands the school needs to address its long-term financial needs.

With its $55 million price, the school board says it hopes to use the proceeds for building improvements at its two campuses.

The school bought the land in two phases in the 1950s and 1960 with the goal of a third campus. That was during a time of a quickly expanding population.

However, with a stable enrollment over the last four decades, school officials say the land is no longer needed.

The school board has been publicly quiet about its plan to sell the property over the last month. But that hasn't stopped residents from expressing their opposition at meetings.

On Tuesday, residents' comments took up more than half of the board's two-hour open meeting. Among the commenters was Burr Ridge Trustee Guy Franzese, who read a resolution in which Burr Ridge opposed industrial uses for the school's property.

The school board closed its doors before and after the open session to discuss setting the price for real estate, likely the Willow Springs property.