Lora Totzke moved from Arlington Heights to Lake in the Hills because it fulfilled her country-living expectations of fresh air and a clear sky.
But a cloud is moving over Totzke’s dream home, and her neighbors are caught in the same potential storm.
“Here you can see the stars at night and there’s open land,” Totzke said. “Now I’m imagining coming out of my house and hearing the hum of power lines and seeing the red bright lights on the towers flashing.”
Totzke and about 30 of her neighbors gathered on a recent Saturday morning at their neighborhood playground to mount a protest against Edison’s proposed plans to string high-voltage power lines along the southwestern boundaries of their subdivision. The lines could be as near as 100 feet to some residents’ backyards.
Bearing signs reading, “Move the lines,” the homeowners took their protest to the entrance of Bell Chase on Algonquin Road and waved their signs at passing motorists. They hoped to spread the word to residents in adjacent subdivisions who they say still don’t know about the proposed wires.
They also wanted to send a warning to prospective home buyers visiting Bell Chase’s sales model houses.
Bell Chase homeowner Howard McNair, leading the protest, said the residents’ main objective is to persuade Edison to move the lines farther from their homes to protect property values and relieve fears about potential health hazards from the wires.
Although the issue of high-voltage power lines has been controversial, experts say there is no evidence the lines pose a health risk.
Edison has made its plea before the Illinois Commerce Commission to string the wires through the southeastern part of the county, drawing opposition from Algonquin, Huntley and Lake in the Hills. An ICC ruling that could clear the way for the lines is not expected for several months.
But many of the homeowners are angry with sales representatives from Sundance Homes, the developer of the subdivision, claiming they were not warned about the proposed wires when they bought their single-family houses at prices from $150,000 and up.
Scott Buetow moved his family from Elgin to Bell Chase in August and said he was told nothing would be built on the adjoining land for 5 to 10 years.
When he heard about the proposed high-voltage wires, just days before his closing and long after he had given Sundance a $10,000 deposit on his home, he was told the wires would be strung from shorter, wooden poles.
“I specifically asked what would be on that property, and they told me there could be higher-priced homes, running from $200,000 to $300,000, but not for 5 or 10 years,” Buetow said. “Now I hear those lines will be 72 feet from my back sliding glass door.”
Buetow said he’s angry because he believed Sundance officials knew long before he purchased his home about the proposed wires.
Sundance officials couldn’t be reached for comment.
Several other homeowners said they felt misled by Sundance and were hoping the company would at least lend its support to protest Edison’s plans.
Many Bell Chase residents threatened with having power lines along their backyard property lines said they paid premiums, about $4,000 to $6,000 more, for their lots.
