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

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Village of Plainfield was on the verge of acquiring 2.9 acres of undeveloped green space next to Settlers' Park with the intention of turning it into a permanent park. But Monday night, trustees gathered for a special Board meeting and voted against the $2 million sale.

Board members met for a Committee of the Whole workshop and special Village Board meeting, where trustees voted 3-2 against moving forward with buying the undeveloped land. The sale required Board approval since its price tag was well over the village's maximum $10,000 spending limit without approval.

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

"I'm sorry for the result tonight," Arougdelis said in response to the outcome. "It pains me greatly."

The land in question is at the corner of West Village Center Drive and South Van Dyke Road, adjacent to Village Hall. Many in town view it as an extension to the 20-plus acre Settlers' Park, a site for walking paths, village events and open space.

Zoned as a B-5 Traditional Business District since 1998, the vacant land faced being turned into a mixed-use development, known as Marnette Apartments, with 84 units and more than 9,000 square feet of retail space. In October, trustees narrowly voted to deny the developer's special use permit request, temporarily shutting down the project.

RELATED: 84 Apartments, Mixed-Use Development Proposed Near Settlers' Park

Since the request for variances failed on Oct. 2, village staff have been in talks with the property owner, Scott Seger, who said he was willing to sell the land for $2 million. A purchase agreement was drawn up; highlights included closing by Dec. 15, a non-refundable earnest deposit of $100,000, and it would be sold as-is with a 30-day period for studies.

The village conducted an appraisal on the property, which valued it at $1.325 million. The higher price tag came about since the owner put in roughly $450,000 to "get it to the point of essentially being ready for approval by the Village Board for [the Marnette Apartments] project," according to Village Administrator Joshua Blakemore, plus an added $250,000 premium, bringing the total to $2 million.

"This is obviously not a budgeted item in the current fiscal year; we certainly didn't go into this fiscal year with the intent of buying this land, so this was a purchase that staff would ultimately recommend paying for out of our village's capital fund," Blakemore said at the meeting. "Ultimately, this is a purchase that would be paid for out of the fund balance in the capital fund, and that's something we'll have to consider as we prepare the next fiscal year budget."

RELATED: Board Nixes Apartment Development By Settlers' Park, Village Hall

Only the landowner can change the zoning for the parcel, Patch reported. Until then, a mixed-use residential and commercial development is permitted to be built in a B-5 zoning district, as are grocery stores, hotels and churches.

If the village had moved to acquire the site, Blakemore said it would have "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."

Before the vote, Blakemore indicated the developer would submit a revised site plan to eliminate variances for the Marnette Apartments should the sale not be green-lit.

He explained: "Essentially, the Village Board would be asked to vote on ... what is the final plat and site plan approval for that site, which, I would add ... by right means there's not a lot of legal standing for the village to have to deny that claim."

Mayor John Argoudelis added, "It's clearly an either-or: Either we agree to buy it, or we'll see apartment construction starting."

"Can you put a price tag on forever? You cannot," Argoudelis continued. "And what is the next hundred years-plus of preserved green space and family memories and wonderful events here in our hometown, what is that worth? How do you value that?"

Where trustees stand

Trustees discussed the purchase for about an hour during the Committee of the Whole meeting.

Kalkanis spoke first, explaining her reason for voting in favor of the sale. Residents in the audience met her comments with two rounds of applause.

"I do agree, which is very rare, with the mayor on this particular issue. I have very much been up-front with slowing development down since I've been on the Board," she said. "I am just putting my foot down on this, and if it's going to cost $2 million, it's going to cost $2 million. I'm Greek; I'm cheap, but not at the expense ... to lose a staple here."

Wojowski spoke next, explaining why he would vote no.

"We are tasked with doing what's right for the entire community," he said. "First thing, we are stewards of the public trust. ... The prescient point I believe is that this is a nonbudgeted item, wasn't planned until Oct. 1. That is not fiscally responsible."

Ruane proceeded to say he agreed "almost completely" with Wojowski.

"We could spend that $2 million, [and] if we want to put it toward a park, we could put it toward a much bigger park," Ruane said. "This park wasn't designed to be the master park of Plainfield, regardless of what anyone says. It was designed to be a community-centralized park. ... It's been overflow for maybe three events, and I don't think it's fiscally responsible to spend $2 million just for some overflow."

He argued the Marnette Apartments would be a good opportunity to diversify Plainfield's tax base through the development of commercial space.

"We need more density in our downtown," he continued, addressing the audience. "We live in downtown for a reason because we like the way it's progressed. If we wanted to be out in the middle and not be bothered by traffic, we'd all be living out in Plano or something like that. So you're going to have to put up with these things."

Kiefer shared his opinion, which he said he developed by speaking to residents and hearing both sides of the argument. In voting yes, he said, "Any way you slice it, if any type of development comes in there, commercial, residential, whatever, it was going to impact that whole vibe."

"[Settlers' Park] isn't park district land; this is village land, so we have to maintain it," he said. "$2 million is a lot of money ... but again, over 50 years, 100 years, is this something that the village is able to absorb. ... Long term, I don't think the village is going to be hurting for more apartments, and long term, I don't think we're going to be hurting for commercial developments."

Larson echoed Ruane and Wojoswki's sentiments to say she's not in favor of the expenditure.

"The capital budget is not a fund account," she said. "It's where we pull out to repair a roof; it's where, when we get a bill for $500,000 for body cams, whatever the case may be, we've had to pull from it. It is that reserve. It's almost an insurance policy that we can pay the bills and keep moving forward and keep giving you the level of service you are owed and deserve."

She continued: "We have constantly been preaching about increasing our urban core. Mayor Argoudelis campaigned that it was 'Urban Planning 101,' that we had to increase the foot traffic into downtown Plainfield. I agreed with him on that, and I still agree with him on that. This doesn't accomplish that."

As the only trustee who did not partake in the vote, Bonuchi said she felt the Board had "a gun to our head to make this decision."

"I don't think this is the way we should be doing it. ... I really believe we should not be voting on this tonight," she said. "I really believe that we should give the public a chance to get the facts ... and get the true temperature of the town."

Before the Village Board voted, Argoudelis spoke about the Statue of Liberty's history and tied it to creating a legacy for future generations.

"There's not a single person in this room who doesn't commend the decision to plow forward and do something bigger than yourself, bigger than the mundane, bigger than saving a couple pennies today and ruining the future," he said. "No one condemns the people who built the Statue of Liberty pedestal today and spent the exorbitant sum of $300,000. We thank them, and future generations will thank this Board if we exercise that same type of vision. It's what we must do."