From a window on a commuter train on the Metra run from Elgin to Chicago, it’s a stop that goes by almost unnoticed. Nor is the place visible to motorists traveling on the nearby I-290 extension. And compared to sprawling communities like Schaumburg or Naperville, it’s hardly a blip on the map, unless you’re a pilot.
But the Village of Bensenville, which lies directly in the flight path of hundreds of planes daily heading toward touchdown at O’Hare International Airport, has quietly and methodically reinvented itself against the backdrop of a noisy canvas that will never go away.
Long-time resident Lynne Vihnanek says backyard conversations are interrupted every 30 seconds by “the Bensenville Pause.” (The city itself is so proactive, a fleet of nine vans tied to sophisticated computers monitor decibels of plane noise.)
According to community development director Bob Glees, initiatives to begin the restoration of Bensenville began in the 1980s, when new leadership decided it was time to reclaim the village, which only 20 years ago knew blighted areas that were an eyesore to visitors and residents alike.
Glees credits current Village President John Geils and most of the current trustees for the change in attitude.
“Since the middle 1980s, when a lot of us came on board, we’ve used every financial vehicle at our disposal to turn an aged housing stock and blighted commercial district into something that reflects a modern community and town center,” Geils said.
“We’ve focused on developing service, entertainment and food-oriented components within the town in order to compete with larger shopping malls. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” Geils said.
Glees said that in order to pay for the improvements, the village has relied on its three tax increment financing districts and kept its budget laden with capital projects.
“We’ve spent a lot of money on improvement projects, and our redevelopment coordinator is very aggressive and adept at obtaining DuPage County block grants,” Glees said.
During the past two decades, substantial efforts have been made to address problems, including the housing stock, areas of high crime, infrastructure, revitalizing and bringing new properties to the town center, facade programs, and improving recreational facilities.
Glees cites the Redmond Complex, once described by one state official as “the ugliest property in the state,” as an example of the success of those efforts.
Community events director Stan Urban says that the 82-acre facility is now one of the crown jewels of the community and has become the envy of other municipalities near Bensenville.
“There’s been an ongoing development of this facility for many years. People saw an opportunity to create facilities within this open space and now we have something we can be proud of,” Urban said. “We have a skating facility with three indoor sheets of ice. The Blackhawks and Chicago Wolves train and practice here. We call it the `Ice Mecca’ of the Midwest.”
The Redmond Recreational Complex also contains a lake, walking park, basketball and sand volleyball courts, a soccer field, a gazebo, and a lighted 1,500-seat baseball stadium, primarily used by the Bensenville Baseball Athletic Association.
“We gave the BBAA first rights on the stadium since, first of all, they’re youths, and more importantly, youths of Bensenville,” Urban said. “We like to say the stadium is Bensenville’s `Wrigley West.’ “
To enhance the community, Urban says he has brought a lot of “mom and pop” events into town. “Before I was hired, there wasn’t really much here,” he says. “I’ve tried to make this sort of a `Hometown America.’ That’s what the village brought me on board to do.”
Classic car cruise nights, a farmer’s market, community fishing derby, and an “Endless Sounds of Summer” program, featuring music in the park and food vendors, are among the offerings Urban has brought to the village.
Another enhancement has been the addition of the Bensenville Water Park, which Vihnanek says was the first zero-depth pool ever allowed in the state. (Zero-depth pools use sprinklers and bubblers to keep children wet.)
“We’re a town that’s been reinventing itself,” Vihnanek said. “A lot of us have stayed because we enjoy the small town atmosphere, and the camaraderie with our neighbors. Where else can you go and have such easy access into town, whether through the expressways, the airport, or the Metra right here in town? A lot of us say, `All roadways lead to Bensenville. Even some runways.’ “
Geils says Bensenville residents “live through and around” the airport noise, and have tried to factor in the economic benefits to the community, compared to how noise pollution affects their quality of life.
Last week, talk regarding a western entrance to O’Hare was in the news as airlines picked up their push for better access. Geils said plans for a western gateway to O’Hare only make sense if they’re forged as “a joint project with the surrounding communities and not just as tool for unconstrained expansion.”
“The idea of a western entrance depends on whatever master plan is forged between adjacent communities and the airport. It’s a planning issue as well as a geography issue,” Geils said. “These plans can’t impact our economic base or quality of life here. The ring roads have to remain on airport property. If the plan effects removing 500 single-family homes and destroying 10 percent of our economic base, then it’s not well thought out.”
“We tried to do whatever we can to develop a livable partnership with the airport,” he said. “Currently, there’s 900,000 operations there a year, and projections say it could double in 10 years. We’d like to maintain the economic impact to Bensenville as it is right now.
“There’s certainly a need for another airport to the south. Any more growth here would affect the safety, pollution, and well-being of our citizens. In spite of the additional economic benefits, the trade-offs aren’t acceptable.”
In order to attract move-ins or entice current residents to look for second-tier housing, the village board has put new initiatives in place to improve the housing stock.
“For new single-family developments, the village has taken the position that the developments need to meet certain quality goals,” Glees said.
“The purpose is to upgrade the quality of the single-family-housing stock. Goals are achieved by looking at both ends of the housing spectrum in Bensenville. We have situations where we have blighted housing that doesn’t meet building codes any more.”
The substandard housing program currently in place demands inspectors examine older construction to determine if it meets current code requirements. Glees said the village then works with the homeowner to bring deficient items up to current standards; sometimes, buildings are sold to developers using the village as a broker.
Other initiatives to improve housing stock and building quality include a real estate transfer inspection program, which focuses on code compliance, and a neighborhood improvement program in which undeveloped properties or blighted housing is redeveloped.
“We also have a first-time home buyers program where we assist first-time buyers in moving into affordable housing by assisting them with getting mortgages they can afford,” Glees said.
For new developments, builders must meet certain quality standards, typically expressed in terms of square footage and selling price.
“To give you an example, with Breiter Estates, a 26-home community on Church Road, the developer had certain models and price ranges he was looking at,” Glees said. “The village board felt the homes were not up to the quality of housing stock it was looking for, so negotiations followed and the village set a minimum price point for the homes.
“It was the simplest way to achieve the quality standards the village was looking for,” Glees added. “When we first started this years ago, we made a couple of attempts at listing materials and upgrades. It became so complicated that it was simpler to set a minimum price point.”
Today, developers work with the village on a case-by-case basis. In Breiter Estates, the Mitroff Company of Arlington Heights hoped to maximize profits by selling out homes quickly and, therefore, reducing some of its costs.
“As it turns out, not only did the homes sell quickly but many people were adding significant upgrades,” Glees said. “It was a win-win situation, both for the developer and the village.”
Another project, Heritage Square, is a traditional neighborhood development project with 31 homes. The project was rescued by the village, after a number of developers misfired.
“The site was supposed to house a chemical factory, and was deemed not compatible for single-family homes,” Geils said. “We felt developing this project within the community was important to the town center. The village eventually bought the land, razed the buildings and now Olson-Hallberg is developing the property into upscale, second-tier housing.”
The village’s efforts at guiding the housing market along hasn’t created animosity with home builders. David Mitroff, vice president of Mitroff Companies, said the company “is thrilled with the way things have gone in Bensenville” and is seeking other opportunities.
“In fact, my commercial division is just as excited as my residential is about getting more work in Bensenville,” Mitroff said. “There’s been a big change in the community. The people living there have been our greatest asset. Many residents have been upgrading their homes, but we’ve attracted a variety of professional people outside the area, from pilots and customs agents to Board presidents and attorneys. The noise from the air traffic hasn’t been a deterrent.”
Village planner Kristen Gundersen said most of the recent construction in Bensenville has been single-family homes. The Heritage Square project continues that trend, and its unique design reflects the history of homes in the village.
“Like Chicago, these homes have narrow 50-foot lots with complete access from alleys,” Gundersen said. “People told us they enjoyed this style and having the alley access. We still have older homes in the village with the traditional neighborhood design. This parcel has an odd configuration and this plan worked.”
Other in-fill projects, such as Twin Oaks (16 homes), Redmond Cove (11 homes) and Plentywood Farm (25 homes — another Mitroff project) are currently under way.
Because of its being virtually landlocked, officials say growth in Bensenville during the next 10 years will be characterized by improvements in its infrastructure, developing the Irving Park corridor, and continuing initiatives to redevelop aging properties. With nearly two decades of redevelopment under its belt, Glees believes Bensenville has become a model that other communities seek to emulate.
“We’ve been creative in figuring out ways to restructure things, using the village as a partner with landowners and property developers so that it’s a win situation for everybody,” he said. “In a lot of areas, we’ve been in the lead trying things. “We’ve had communities come to us to see how we’ve implemented a program, learned from our mistakes and successes, and modeled things in their communities.”
“Our slogan says, `Proud of our past — pride in our future,”‘ Vihanek adds. “When visitors from neighboring communities see what we have,they say, `I wish they’d do that where I live.’ “
