Settlers' Park-Adjacent Land Acquisition Back On Village Board Agenda

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Village Board might reconsider buying the 2.9 acres of undeveloped land next to Settlers' Park on Monday night, a week after voting against the $2 million sale.

The Wallin Woods Lot 4 property acquisition will be the first item of business during Monday night's regular Village Board meeting. Trustees will first vote whether to reconsider the sale; if they move forward, they'll go on to either approve or deny the motion to authorize the sale with the property owner, Dandelion Development, LLC, with the intent to turn it into permanent park space by combining it with Settlers' Park.

Board members met last Monday for a combined Committee of the Whole workshop and special Village Board meeting, where trustees voted 3-2 against moving forward with buying the land at the corner of West Village Center Drive and South Van Dyke Road, adjacent to Village Hall.

Trustees Tom Ruane, Brian Wojowski and Cally Larson voted no, while Patricia Kalkanis and Richard Kiefer voted yes. Margie Bonuchi recused herself.

Those opposed said the $2 million price tag was "fiscally irresponsible," citing concerns about it not being budgeted for the current fiscal year. Bonuchi refused to vote due to the project's tight timeline, she said.

RELATED: Spending $2M For Undeveloped Land By Settlers' Park? Board Votes No

"It's a shame there are other motives ... behind the scenes that are hindering us from getting this done," Mayor John Arougdelis told Patch. "That is a complete fallacy that we cannot afford this. That is a manufactured excuse to say no."

Argoudelis said he had a "good feeling" going into Monday's meetings. The Board sat through several executive sessions for a month and a half, during which time he said the majority of trustees consistently signaled to be in favor of the sale.

Come the special meeting, "We all got surprised by some trustees doing different things than what they said they were going to do," the mayor said.

The village's desire to purchase the property came as it faced being turned into a mixed-use development, known as Marnette Apartments. The land has been zoned as a B-5 Traditional Business District since 1998, meaning the developer is legally allowed to build the complex housing 84 apartments and more than 9,000 square feet of commercial space.

By acquiring it, the village would "put some type of covenant on that parcel so that it can not be developed in the future, and then also combining lots with the existing Settlers' Park," Village Administrator Joshua Blakemore said Monday.

"I'm strongly supportive of preserving green space forever," Argoudelis said, "and the fact that we would not be proactive in advancing what our village wants is rather, I think, outstanding that people would not feel compelled to follow through on what our residents want."

RELATED: Board Nixes Special Use Permit For Apartment Development By Settlers' Park, Village Hall