A compromise plan that would allow for construction of a mini-warehouse and storage facility in unincorporated DuPage County near West Chicago was narrowly approved Monday by members of a County Board committee.
Plans for the project, at High Lake Road and Morningside Avenue east of West Chicago, had been revised by owner Jenny Jones to meet most–but not all–of the objections raised by nearby residents of the 230-home High Lake subdivision.
“I still maintain that this is not a safe place for this construction,” said Sylvia Kietzman, a resident of the subdivision for more than 20 years. “What will happen to our property values? We deserve to have the county support us and our property values.”
Jones and her family want to build three warehouses for public storage and for their small concrete business called Cellcrete Decks on about 1.7 acres of property. Though the land is zoned commercial, Jones needs conditional-use approval to build a mini-warehouse.
The Development Committee postponed a vote two weeks ago in hopes that some of the concerns of residents could be resolved.
Under the revised plans, access to the property was moved from Morningside Avenue, a residential street, to High Lake Road, which is a busier thoroughfare. Jones also agreed to plant additional landscaping as a buffer from nearby homes, build an 8-foot-tall fence at the back of the property and make sure that any glare from the lighting ends short of the property line.
Neighbors remain opposed to the proposed hours of operation, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“The hours are of great concern to us,” said Cris Kohl, president of the High Lakes Homeowners Association.
The committee voted 4-3 to recommend full board approval. The full board is expected to vote next month on the plan.
Board member Wally Brown (R-Downers Grove) said he shared the residents’ concerns about the project but said he voted for the compromise because the current zoning allows for uses that would be more intrusive to the neighborhood.
