Robert Brandt
Issues:
Bolingbrook Landscape Waste Transfer Station - The operator of the Rizzi site at Woodward Ave. and the west end of Hillcrest in Woodridge, came before the Bolingbrook Plan Commission to make changes in their operation. There is a concern that the Tameling site, which is already an eyesore and a nuisance to the neighborhood with its smell of compost and manure, flying debris, truck traffic, etc, is going to intensify its use as a landscape waste dump and transfer station.
District 99 land - Community High School District #99 proposed a $5.1 million tax referendum on the November 2, 2004 ballot. However, they own a 45-acre vacant parcel of land which their own studies say they will never use and their own surveys say they should sell. In April 2005, District 99 stated that they wanted to sell the land and that it was ideal to develop it with over 200 townhomes
Re-zoning of the Northeast corner of Boughton Rd. & Woodward Ave. - Gallagher & Henry builders has proposed 12 five-story condo buildings with 192 units for the northeast corner of Boughton Rd. & Woodward Ave. They are asking the Village of Woodridge to re-zone the property from single-family residential to office research and industrial (ORI).
UPDATE: A compromise plan was passed. Click here for details.
LATEST UPDATE: The Woodridge Board of Trustees is now on the record as opposing future multi-family development. Click here for a newspaper article. Too little, too late as 53% of all housing in Woodridge is multi-family.
Teen Center for Woodridge? - There appears to be some interest among Woodridge Teenagers for a Teen Center in Woodridge. I have volunteered to help coordinate the effort to establish such a center. Click here to see a newspaper article written about my offer.
November 2000 UPDATE: For the second year in a row, youth activities were voted the #1 concern of Woodridge residents. However, the Mayor and Trustees seem to be passing the buck. Click here to see a newspaper article. Is anything ever going to be done about a Youth Center? Click here to see a copy of an e-mail I sent to Police Chief Korous expressing my concerns. Click here to see a copy of an e-mail I sent to Woodridge Park District Director Keith Frankland.
Development of the southwest corner of 75th St. & Greene Rd. - Developers are presenting a proposal to the Woodridge Plan Commission to annex and re-zone the property at the southwest corner of 75th St. & Greene Rd. from unincorporated DuPage County R-2 Residential to Woodridge A-2 Residential and build 64 single family homes and 280 apartments on the property. Click here to see a map of the area.
On October 15, 1999, I sent a letter to Plan Commission Chairman Donn Zawacki expressing my opposition to such development as I believe any future development in Woodridge should be high quality, detached single-family homes, not apartments. Click here to see a copy of my letter. Click here to see the enclosure to my letter - a campaign ad from April 1999 wherein Trustees Szerlag, Cunningham and Frank also express their opposition to the development.
UPDATE: The Mayor and Village Board approved the annexation of the property and development of 64 single-family homes and 280 apartments.
Click here to see a newspaper article.
Development of NW Corner of Lemont Rd. & Frontage Rd. - Woodridge is going to receive $1.7 million from the Illinois FIRST program to turn the frontage road just north of I-55 between Lemont Rd. & Woodward Ave. into a three-lane road with curbs and gutters. Click here for the Woodridge progress newspaper article.
Sounds good. But Mayor Murphy is quoted as saying the area (around the residential Vicente subdivision) "is an optional zoning area. It's going to be attractive for commercial development." The property is currently zoned Single-Family Residential and has residential property on and all around the property.
On July 15, 1999, I wrote a letter to Staci Hulseberg, Director of Planning for Woodridge, asking for clarification. Click here to see a copy of my letter. Click here to see her response.
UPDATE: The commercial area will be limited to the 34 acres in the NW corner of Lemont Rd. & I-55 (not the 44 acres directly east of the Vicente subdivision) and the strip west of Woodward Ave. from I-55 to Boughton Rd. Click here to see a map of the area.
UPDATE: In August 2001, a proposal to develop the majority of the parcel with office buildings. Click here to see a photo of the area.
Re-zoning and annexation of the Northwest corner of 83rd & Lemont Rd. - the Village of Woodridge is planning to forcibly annex the property in the NW corner of 83rd & Lemont Rd. and re-zone it from single-family residential (R-2) to office research and industrial (ORI). I believe the property should be annexed to Woodridge and zoned as single-family residential.
UPDATE: The Plan Commission unanimously voted 7-0 to re-zone the property ORI. The Village Board voted unanimously 5-0 to forcibly annex the property and re-zone it ORI. Click here for details.
1999 Park District Referendum - The Woodridge Park District presented a referendum on the April 13, 1999 ballot proposing to build a new Field House and several new athlethic fields on land just south of the Cypress Cove Aquatic Center. I believe that the improvements to the various neighborhood parks are necessary. Click here for details.
Would you want to know where our elected officials (Mayor, Trustees) stood on this referendum? I did - so I sent them a letter asking them about the referendum (click here to see the questionnaire) and not one of them responded.
UPDATE: The referendum FAILED on April 13th 1,608 to 600.
Competition on the Ballot - I believe that elected officials perform better and are more responsive to their duties as representatives of the people when they know that they will face opposition at the next election. I encourage everyone who has ever thought about running for elected office to do it so there will be choices on the ballot. There is always a need for fresh ideas at all levels of government - from Woodridge to Springfield to Washington.
UPDATE: I was removed from the April 13, 1999 ballot for Woodridge Trustee based on technicalities. Click here for details. Any wonder why people feel politically disenchanted? Click here for a CNN article.
1998 District #66 School Referendum - This was a very important referendum and I am glad to see that it passed. Based on the information I read, this was the best alternative proposed by the District to do the badly needed improvements to Center Cass, Lakeview and Elizabeth Ide schools in a fiscally responsible manner. Total cost - projected at $6,900,000. Cost per $100,000 of home value - $47 per year.
Click here to see one proposal of the new school sites, click here to see another proposal of the new school site.
UPDATE: The referendum PASSED. The building opened for the 2001 school year.
1998 District #99 School Referendum - This was another very important referendum to improve the quality of the facilities at the Downers Grove high schools. Total cost - projected at $49,500,000. Cost per $100,000 of home value - $28 per year. The cost is lower for each homeowner than the District #66 referendum because it is spread out among more homes.
UPDATE: The referendum PASSED.
