The discussion about facilities that process construction and demolition debris was so clouded with so much misinformation I ended up doing research into the legal, scientific, legislative backgrounds, as well as becoming a subscribing member of C&D Recycler, the industry trade magazine.  The material I accumulated was substantial, so I moved it to it's own C&D Q&A page.  As it is, that page is still only a portion of what I used as background material and citations. 

I received emails accusing me of being an environmental dilettante.    I received veiled threats of legal action.  I received condescending lectures about public policy, I was told in no uncertain terms I didn't get it at all, and my motives and character were attacked for even thinking of opposing it.  To all of you who did the above I appreciate your input, and I hope you read and heard what I said in return: those veiled threats and the stalking horses, I doubt those folks really thought through what they were supporting and why. 

I will say my meeting with Sandack, Tully, and Fieldman was a good one, and my meeting with Pavlicek, Fieldman, and Dabareiner was very good.  I even got a short reading list of books about public policy out of it.  More reading, more research.  So it goes...

At this point, we residents have, for the most part, avoided the Pandora's Box our local government almost opened and let loose on our Village. 

I heard the Lee Street/Aldi developer wants to change things around; that Aldi wants to front Ogden Avenue, and that the developer wants to build 113 town homes instead of 78.  What  did you hear Mark?

 

I heard what you heard.  As almost always happens here in Downers Grove, what is originally proposed is rarely what gets built. 

 

I have a couple concerns.

1) What happens to the extensive water retention areas planned for originally?  If they stay the same size or get larger to account for more town homes, that's great.  If they get smaller, that could be a problem.

 

2) Will residents along Lee, Grant, and Stonewall be kept informed of how this is progressing?  Residents don't want to be left out in the cold.  Even a couple "door hangers" with info as it becomes available, put out the 50 or so homes directly connected or along those streets, would be nice.

 

According to staff the groundwork for the RDA called for the Village to kickback almost all the real estate taxes on the town homes, but only those in the TIF District.  The village will pay for this every year out of the Ogden Avenue TIF fund.  The developer pushing more town homes in to the TIF area creates a bigger annual payback for them. 

 

It seems to me this would be a positive reason to expand the TIF district boundaries, to include the entire property, so we have the revenue stream to pay for the agreement we make.  To do that, we need to be starting NOW to change the boundaries.

 

I know, that's more questions instead of answers...