The Orland Park Plan Commission voted Tuesday night to reject a landowner’s appeal to reverse the village engineer’s decision that keeps the landowner from regrading his 4 acres for development.
George Hanus, owner of the land on the northeast corner of 159th Street and Park Hill Drive, wanted to add up to 10 feet of fill to level off the parcel, which appears to be sunken compared with the ground level of 159th Street. But the village engineer denied his request in October 1996, because the land has a steep grade uphill from a residential area of homes and a day-care center.
The parcel features steep grade changes that will cause developers to add up to 10 feet of fill to level it off with the existing grade of 159th Street. But elevating the grade to match 159th Street’s elevation creates an even bigger hill above the homes of the Park Hill subdivision to the north.
The nearby homeowners have complained in the past to the commission that the commercial development may cause increased flooding to their neighborhood and endanger children at a nearby day-care center.
