Dentist Felt 'Blindsided' By Clarendon Hills

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – Clarendon Hills is looking to sell its property at 214 Burlington Ave.

But the village's inclusion of a neighboring property in a message to developers upset the owner.

At last month's Village Board meeting, Dr. Michael Major, a dentist in town for 33 years, said people asked him whether he intended to sell his office at 1 McIntosh Ave. They were referring to the village's message, which said he did not know about.

"I felt a little blindsided," Major told the board. "We were not contacted in any way at all. I feel I deserve a little more respect than that after all this time being part of the community."

Major said he did not intend to sell his property.

In response, Village President Eric Tech apologized for any misunderstanding. He said it appeared as if there was poor communication.

"Nobody has authorization to sell your private property," Tech said.

Another dentist, Dr. Bill Hamel, whose building is on the other side of the village's at 210 Burlington, said he wanted to be alerted to any potential neighboring development. His property was not included in the message to developers.

In an email to Patch on Tuesday, Village Manager Zach Creer said the village has solicited proposals from developers for 214 Burlington.

"It's currently a storage garage with a maintenance backlog," Creer said. "The village views the property as more of a liability than an asset."

Creer said the property is small and would be a better project if combined with Major's.

"Ultimately,(it's) up to Dr. Major if he wants to participate and the terms," Creer said.

In recent months, Clarendon Hills officials have talked about selling the nearby fire station at 316 Park Ave. The village then could build a new fire station next to the police station, which is at 448 Park Ave. Such a move could spur downtown development, officials say.

In May, Creer said the sale of the current fire station's land alone may be enough to offset the cost of the new building. The village also could use money from the downtown tax district to pay for moving costs, he said.