By Kristen Schorsch
reprinted from Tinley Ties

Orland-Park based Gemini Companies has built churches, 7-Eleven and Taco Bell eateries and more than 20 Walgreens stores throughout the Southland in recent years.

The company’s latest project in Tinley Park included a Walgreens and an adjacent strip mall at the northwest corner of 171st Street and 84th Avenue.

Slapped with several ordinance violations for not keeping up the property — neighbors have dubbed a huge pile of dirt Mount Tinley — Gemini told an administrative judge last week it has sold the property.

It’s not clear who owns the land now. Gemini hasn’t returned a phone call this morning, and apparently it didn’t clue the village in either. Last night, trustees and Mayor Ed Zabrocki were stunned when they heard the news.

On May 20th Aetna submitted a sketched, revised plan to the Village board of Tinley park, moving the building to the Southeast of it’s last proposed location on the property.  In addition, the burm protecting the light and noise from disturbing the immediuately adjacent neighborhood was drastically reduced.  Instead of the large burm, there would be a much smaller one and a detention pond to deal with rain water.  A detention pond is normally dry until thereis runoff, so there would be easy access to the neighboring homes.

On June 2nd, Aetna resubmitted the plan, thge LRPC voiced concerns, but has assigned a new work group to the project.

At the  meeting,Attorney Jason Tunquist announced that he’d been retained to represent a group of residents.

Stay tuned for more .

Prairie View Crossings (24-hour Wal-Mart Super Center) is item #5 on the May 20th Village Board agenda.

This will be the first time our Village Board and Mayor officially gets to see the plan. A plan by-the-way, that has been changed, yet once again, by Aetna Development since the May 1st Long Range Plan Commission’s (LRPC) unanimous denial.

As such, the Village Board will likely kick it back to the LRPC for review.

Please make a note of the date and join us at this meeting.

Village Board Meeting
Tinley Park Village Hall Council Chambers
16250 S. Oak Park Avenue
8:00 pm

Aetna development once again addressed the Tinley Park LRPC, showcasing changes in the proposed development and requesting re-zoning of the parcel of land on the South-West corner of 191st and Harlem. The proposal was unanimously rejected by the committee.

Read the Southtown Star article HERE.

While the building was moved further from the immediately adjacent homes, it was not moved far enough. Landscaped burms were also proposed to block visual distraction and noise.
Serious concerns were still expressed over the treatment of the flood plain, movement of the high pressure gas main and the amount of traffic to be experienced by the area. Overall, not much changed since the last proposal.

The decision of the LRPC is non-binding. Aetna intends to propose this development to the Village board, tentatively scheduled May 20. Get involved, sign our petition. This development still has the possibility of being approved.! Act now!

This development impacts more than the immediately adjoining properties. It is inappropriate for the area and would be a detriment. Please check back here for ongoing information and contact us if you have questions.

VILLAGE OF TINLEY PARK
LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMISSION
MAY 1, 2008 -7:30 P.M.
Kallsen Conference Center
Village Hall - 16250 S. Oak Park Avenue

Prairie View Crossings is on the May 1 agenda, so please make anote of the date and come support us.

The Village of Tinley Park Long Range Planning Commission (LRPC) just published their April 17th agenda. Prairie View Crossings is not on it!

Currently, there is no need for us to attend the April 17th meeting.  I will publish the new meeting date and time as soon as I am informed.

Stay tuned!

Joliet Attorney and Will County Republican Chairman Richard Kavanagh, representing Wal-Mart, was quoted in the Southtown Star today,

“Do the interests of a relatively few abutting residents override the interests of the hundreds of thousands of benefiting community citizens and the thousands of school children who will be harmed if this project does not move forward?“

HARMED!? Hundreds of thousands of citizens and thousands school children will be harmed if Wal-mart decides not to move forward!?

Harmed how Mr. Kavanagh?

Because our children would be able to breathe fresher air with toxic diesel fumes far removed from their backyards?

Because, the dangers of semi-truck traffic and automobiles will not threaten play areas?

Because the threat of potentially dangerous strangers will be removed from the immediate neighborhood?

Please tell us Mr. Kavanagh. How exactly will our children be harmed if your client is not allowed to construct that building 125 feet away from those backyards?

Is this the same level of thought and concern for public welfare that we can expect from the rest of the Republican Party in Will County?

I received a call from the Village today.  The Prairie View Crossings retail development, you know, the one that threatens to plunk a 24-hour Wal-mart within 125 feet from neighboring children’s homes, is off the agenda for April 3rd.

The Long Range Planning Commission (LRPC) was requested to remove the development from the agenda.  The development is being “tentatively” penciled in for April 17th.

I will continue to monitor this and let you know what is going on.

As you are aware, the Prairie View Crossings retail development comprehensive plan places a Wal-Mart Super Center no less that 125 feet from the back fence of 15 of our Tinley Park neighbors, putting dangerous semi-truck traffic and automobile service lanes, dumpsters, noise, fumes, compressors and trash compactors into the back yards of dozens of the neighboring children’s homes.

Aetna Development and Wal-Mart have dropped their plans to present to the Tinley Park Long Range Plan Commission this Thursday evening (March 20). They have, infact, been removed from Thursday evening’s agenda. So, there is no need for you to go, this week.

However, they have rescheduled to appear in front of the LRPC on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008. Here is that information.

Long Range Planning Commission
April 3rd, 2008 - 7:30 P.M.
Kallsen Conference Center
Village Hall - 16250 S. Oak Park Avenue

Please plan on attending the April 3rd meeting. We need you there. As before, though we are not entitled to speak, the commission may grant us an opportunity to do so. We surely want to be heard. This would be particulary helpful if Aetna came before the board without a revised plan in hand. I, however, do have a revised plan for the site. And, I will share it with you soon.

As of this morning, Aetna Development has not yet submitted a revised plan. Surely, they will be doing this before the meeting and hopefully the staff will have had time to review it before then, as well.

I will stay on top of this and get the staff review as soon as I know that it exists.

Also, I am in the process of creating an online petition for our residents (to present to our village staff and elected members).

“Voicing concern that our village leaders continue to maintain high standards of established PUD precedence by requiring a buffer zone (of multifamily homes, or office space), and not to allow any commercial development to abut single-family residences.“

This is going to be an exciting time in Tinley Park. I hope you will share in this experience with me.

Take care,
Russ
BrooksideGlen.org - webmaster
“If we do not all hang together we will surely hang separately.” — Benjamin Franklin

Tinley Park is a rarity in the Chicago area. It’s a stable, family oriented village with a history of carefully planned development aimed at creating sustainable long term living. It is our goal to ensure that continues.Recently Aetna Development, a Chicago company, entered into a contract with Lincoln Way School District 210 to purchase the land on the Southwest corner of 191st street and Harlem Ave. and develop it into a shopping center named “Prarie View Crossings”. This would be anchored by a 24 hour Wal-Mart Super Center. We stand in direct opposition to this proposal and deem the development as it stands to be unneaccptable. There are a number of problems with it.

First, it’s proximity to the surrounding residential homes is totally unacceptable as well as unprecedented in Tinley Park. The families adjacent to the site would be directly impacted in a negative way. Based on our history of development, the present offer shows a total lack of interest in the expectationsof our residents as well asinsensitivity to our already established standards. We support an appropriate buffer zone for any future use of that land.

Next, we simply don’t need another big box, direct competitor to Target retailer at that site. It’s presence only serves the interest of the competitive retail market, not those of our citizens. The competition would be direct, agressive and unneccessary. This is a neighborhhod, not a retail war zone. We should have complimentary stores, not ones trying to put each other out of business at our expense.

There are other concerns as well, so please Contact us. and get involved. We have a well thought out counter plan more suited to our interests, but need people to help do the work to help maintain our village.