Orland Park`s new head of community development wants to straighten out the communication lines between developers and the village and to clear up confusion that has caused lengthy delays in approving projects.
”We want to streamline the development process,” said Shari Neeley, who as head of the village`s new Community Development Department will oversee planning and economic development efforts. ”We are going to tell developers all the village`s requirements up front to save everyone`s time and energy.” But at least one of the village`s former planners, who was fired last week, predicted Tuesday that such ”streamlining” would mean the end of an era of cautious, conservation-minded development in Orland Park.
In the past, according to Neeley, the ”basic administrative flow for projects was in place, but just wasn`t followed.”
”I will not lower the village`s standards,” she said, ”but we have to eliminate some of the confusion and communication problems between staff and the developers.”
Neeley was officially named community development director for Orland Park at Monday`s Village Board meeting. The appointment was effective immediately.
The need to develop a better working relationship between developers and the village was echoed by board members who supported Neeley`s promotion and the firing of Ders Anderson, who was head of Orland Park`s Planning Department for eight years. Anderson and two other planners were fired by Village Manager Pat Scanlan last week.
”We need new direction or Tinley Park and Mokena are going to pass us up,” said Trustee William Ciccone. ”Neeley can give us that direction.”
Mayor Fred Owens Monday said he opposed Anderson`s firing and was upset because he had not been included in last Monday`s closed-door meeting when board members decided to offer Neeley the community development post.
”Never has one person been more committed to a job or this village,”
Owens said referring to Anderson. ”I give Mr. Anderson much of the credit for making Orland Park the most desirable community in the southwest suburbs.”
During Anderson`s eight years in the office, Owens said, he shaped much of the town`s character with a variety of preservation and planning projects. Now, Owens said, ”the trends in Orland Park may favor developers at the expense of homeowners.”
According to Scanlan, Anderson was fired because of ”philosophical differences” that ranged from management style to a difference in the vision each had for the future of Orland Park.
”When you ask people to do things, you expect them to do them my way,” he said. ”You can only discuss so far; then something has to give.”
Officials acknowledged that Scanlan had been considering firing Anderson for about a year. They noted Anderson`s dedication to the village, but agreed that his vision for Orland Park in some cases stopped its growth.
”He was idealistic,” one board member said. ”He wanted things to go a certain way and that was it.”
As head of community development, Neeley will be paid $52,000 a year. Just two weeks ago she resigned her job as economic development coordinator to accept a job as head of planning and economic development for west suburban Addison. Neeley decided to stay in Orland Park after officials offered her the promotion.
