Plans by a Hinsdale developer to build nine homes on the site of the former Arrowhead Swim and Tennis Club near Wheaton suffered a setback when the DuPage County Board rejected a request for zoning changes.
Some County Board members said they voted against the proposed subdivision because they have concerns about its density and potential for flooding.
But the vote also appeared to be a political warning shot fired at board member Gwen Henry (R-Wheaton), chairwoman of the board committee that recommended approval of the zoning changes.
It is relatively rare for County Board members to overrule zoning staff recommendations and reject a request that has cleared both the board’s County Development Committee and the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Some board members said the vote was intended to send a message to Henry, suggesting that she drop her opposition to controversial efforts by the DuPage Forest Preserve Commission to acquire a 35-acre horse farm owned by Vincent and Helen Bolger. County Board members also sit as forest preserve commissioners.
A forest preserve committee headed by County Board member William Maio Jr. (R-Itasca) has been threatening for months to begin condemnation proceedings against the property, south of Wheaton, over the outspoken objections of the Bolger family. The family does not want to sell and has organized public opposition to the forest preserve efforts.
Maio was among the 11 board members who voted to reject zoning changes sought by James McNaughton Builders Inc. for the company’s proposed Arrow Glen Estates subdivision on Butterfield Road, east of Herrick Road.
Maio acknowledged that on zoning matters, he usually votes to accept staff recommendations but said other board members had raised legitimate concerns about the request.
He denied that his vote was linked to the controversy over the Bolger property.
Under the county’s zoning regulations, McNaughton Builders could construct seven homes on the 4-acre parcel, with an entrance on busy Butterfield Road.
The company proposes instead to eliminate the need for an intersection with Butterfield by linking the project to the existing Arrow Glen subdivision to the east. It also proposes to leave open space along Butterfield to provide better drainage and to screen the subdivision from traffic.
In return, the company wants to build nine homes on lots that would be slightly smaller than regulations allow.
Members of the nearby Arrowhead Homeowner’s Association have raised concerns about flooding and traffic throughout the zoning process.
Their concerns were echoed by County Board member Roger Kotecki (R-Glen Ellyn Countryside).
“I don’t see a justification for an increase in density,” Kotecki said.
