Summer Land Sale For Lyons Township High?

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School could have its 71 acres in Willow Springs on the market by this summer.

But the school's new broker is recommending an environmental study of the property first.

On Monday, the school board approved a contract with Moses Hall, CEO of Mohall Commercial and Urban Development, to handle the land's sale.

He noted the school bought the land in the 1960s.

"Things were different with environmental requirements than what they are today," Hall told the board. "We just want to have an understanding of what the land is suitable for and make sure there's no potential contamination on the land, which I don't foresee."

Board members agreed to do such a study.

Asked whether now was the right time to sell, Hall said the market sees value in the property, citing developers who have made offers.

Many say the real estate market is overdue for a crash, Hall said, but the fundamentals remain strong.

"The biggest thing that developers are looking at right now is construction costs, materials, those types of things, which will dictate the type of pricing they can offer," he said.

He recommended the board avoid putting the property on the market around the holidays, saying developers may be on vacation.

Last time around, the board went out to bid in December 2022, opening bids early the next month. That's when residents became aware that the school board secretly geared the process to industrial developers, although industrial uses are banned under Willow Springs' zoning.

About the timeline, Superintendent Brian Waterman said Monday the best-case scenario was to go out to bid in June, giving developers a two-month window.

"Maybe this thing takes a little bit longer, and you're kicking off the window in August," he said.

Hall agreed to update the board at an April meeting.

In 2023 and 2024, the attorney general ruled that the high school board held 10 closed sessions on the Willow Springs land that violated the law. The board should have kept the doors open, the attorney general said.

With the closed-door recordings released, the public discovered that the board strategized to keep its plan to sell the land to an industrial buyer secret for as long as possible.

That's because board members expected a backlash from neighbors. Their prediction proved true.

The board hopes the sale proceeds – possibly around $20 million – could be used to improve the school's two campuses.