(Several readers provided us with their observations after attending Wednesday night’s Hoffman Estates Village Meeting, and a later gathering of neighbors who heard from Martin McLaughlin.)
Last night, a group of concerned D220 & D300 taxpayers, led by elected officials Barrington Hills Village President Martin McLaughlin, District 220 School Board President Brian Battle and D220 Board Member Angela Wilcox, assembled at the Hoffman Estates Village Hall to attend the Planning & Zoning Commission Hearing on the proposed Plum Farms development and to speak on behalf of their constituents. However, shortly after they arrived, they learned that the Plum Farms hearing had been removed from the Agenda and deferred until April 5th.
Before the meeting start, we understand that McLaughlin, Battle and Wilcox assembled with the residents in attendance to strategize opposition to the mixed-use project that could introduce upwards of 500-800 new students to the two school districts. When notified that the Hoffman Estates commission would not be discussing the Plum Farms development at all, and would not be accepting any public comments before or after their regular agenda items, President McLaughlin entered his prepared comments on behalf of the residents of Barrington Hills to the Clerk. Those remarks have also been obtained by the Observer and you can read his comments here. We will be interested to see if his comments in fact do make it into the Official Record.
(When it was apparent that there would be no opportunity for public input, McLaughlin departed to discuss updates from Springfield on the status of LMP, and also to discuss the Plum Farms (Iatarola) development with dozens of concerned constituents at a private village residence.)
After the Planning Meeting started, a number of Barrington Hills residents gathered outside the room. Current candidate for D220 School Board Mike Shackleton was in attendance, as were Louis Iacovelli and Paula Jacobsen, representing the Riding Club slate from “Your Barrington Hills” (YBH). D220 Board President Battle proceeded to describe in detail the scope of the proposed development and its projected negative impact on both D300 & D220 taxpayers. Meanwhile, the YBH candidates tried to insist that VBH won’t defend its residents, but offered no solutions of their own.
Another reader who attended the subsequent McLaughlin meeting tells us that some progress is being made on slowing down construction of Longmeadow Parkway. State Senator Pamela Althoff, who is the sponsor of SB1518, is not accepting amendments to that “quick take” legislation, which means that the Autumn Trail properties cannot be added to the current bill. However, there is a “shell bill”’ (which is currently empty) which can be filled in later to include Autumn Trail for “quick-take”. McLaughlin, working in coordination with several trustees, affected Autumn Trail residents and other concerned property-owners have already filed over 150 witness slips in opposition to the shell bill, known as SB1066.
We thank our readers for their contributions to this segment, and we will continue keep you informed of any new developments.
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