Junk Removal in Burr Ridge, IL

Two of the districts are wealthier than most in the state. Another has a high percentage of low-income students.

Patch Staff

|Updated Fri, Nov 1, 2024 at 2:53 pm CT

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge's three school districts generally saw increased test scores last school year, according to data that the state released this week.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness has been given annually to third through eighth graders since 2019 (2020 excluded).

The three local systems are Burr Ridge District 180, Gower District 62 and Pleasantdale District 107.

Last school year, the districts generally saw their highest percentages of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the assessment's two sections – English language arts and math – since schools started taking the test in 2019.

The one exception was Gower, where the rate of students meeting the state's benchmark in math was slightly under the 2019 number.

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The Gower and Pleasantdale districts are wealthier than most around the state, with the percentages of low-income students in the teens. By contrast, Burr Ridge District 180 had an unusually high percentage of low-income students, at 68 percent.

The newly released data is on the Illinois Report Card website.

Here are the percentages of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness last school year:

English language arts2024 30%2023 18%2022 16%2021 22%2019 21%

Math2024 28%2023 27%2022 16%2021 17%2019 17%

English language arts2024 73%2023 69%2022 61%2021 60%2019 63%

Math2024 56%2023 55%2022 54%2021 57%2019 59%

English language arts2024 72%2023 70%2022 60%2021 60%2019 60%

Math2024 63%2023 62%2022 61%2021 57%2019 59%

Source: Illinois Report Card

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They said the development would disturb surrounding neighborhoods. Some said housing would be better.

Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, Oct 24, 2024 at 10:46 am CT

BURR RIDGE, IL – A proposal for a commercial development in Burr Ridge drew opposition Wednesday from a village committee reviewing it.

Members said the plan to build seven industrial buildings on the old CNH Industrial property would hurt surrounding neighborhoods. Some said housing would be a better choice.

Officials said representatives of the developer, Bridge Industrial, declined to attend the meeting.

Committee members noted the development has been described as light industrial. But they questioned that characterization. They said the plan is for around-the-clock truck traffic, which would disturb the area.

For decades, the 110-acre site at 6900 Veterans Boulevard has been the site of International Harvester, then CNH.

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"It's going from a sleepy, quiet research and assembly facility to where all industrial uses would be permitted," committee member Steve Patterson said. "That's a pretty intense use."

Member Colleen McCormack suggested the site would be better for multifamily housing, particularly for senior citizens. She said Burr Ridge does not need more single-family houses.

Member Ingrid Tepler objected to the proposed truck traffic.

"One of the biggest red flags from Bridge is the 24-7 trucking, which is what is required to make their business model feasible," she said.

Another member, former Burr Ridge Trustee Bob Grela, said he was neither a supporter nor opponent of the proposal. But he said he wanted to provide "counterpoints" to the committee.

Mary Bradley, a member of Burr Ridge's CNH Committee, speaks on Wednesday against a proposed industrial development as fellow member Bob Grela looks on. (David Giuliani/Patch)

Grela said he has been familiar with Bridge for the last three decades of his professional life. Bridge, he said, doesn't "do anything lightly."

He said the site is near two major expressways, which he called a "major plus" for logistics.

Grela also said he was "shocked" the village approved the Fieldstone and Fieldstone Club subdivisions years ago because they are next to CNH.

Long ago, he said he figured residents in those neighborhoods would eventually get a "horrible surprise" at what could be allowed on the site.

Patterson responded by saying Bridge's proposed development doesn't meet the village's code.

"They have to get a massive zoning change," he said.

The committee's chairman, Gerald Sweeney, asked the members whether anything in the proposal would make it acceptable.

Most members said the plan would have to be heavily amended. Others said it was a no-go.

Grela said the plan would be "workable with amendments." But he countered those who suggested housing for the site, saying developers would be "hard-pressed" to get a return on their investment for such a use.

Burr Ridge, he said, traditionally resists multifamily housing and requires big lots for houses.

During public comments, residents spoke out against the proposal.

Holly Adkins, who lives on Hamilton Avenue, said she has lived in the neighborhood all her life.

"This project, to me, is completely overwhelming," she said. "I'm sad it's even being considered."

Grela responded that the village must review proposals from any property owner.

"The village of Burr Ridge, to the best of my knowledge, is not condoning this," he said.

Nicholas Esposito, an attorney with an office near the CNH property, opposed the project.

"This facility doesn't make sense," he said. "It will terribly impact all of us – the noise, the pollution. I just don't see it."

A Plan Commission hearing on the proposal was originally set for Nov. 18. It has since been moved to Jan. 20, the same day as the presidential inauguration.

The commission is expected to make a recommendation on the development to the Village Board, which has the final say.

Bridge had initially considered a Costco for the site. But it pulled that from the plan after neighbors' opposition.

CNH's predecessor, International Harvester, was tied to Burr Ridge's history.

According to the village, International Harvester's decision to build a research center nearby prompted residents to vote for incorporation in 1956 as the village of Harvester. The name changed to Burr Ridge six years later.

Burr Ridge's Harvester Park was named in honor of the company.

Burr Ridge attorney Nicholas Esposito, whose office is near the old CNH Industrial site, says Wednesday a proposal for seven commercial buildings "doesn't make sense." (David Giuliani/Patch)

Bridge Industrial is looking to build seven commercial buildings on the old 110-acre CNH Industrial site. Neighbors oppose the development. (David Giuliani/Patch)

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BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge trustees on Monday opposed putting up an electronic gate at the north entrance of the Chasemoor subdivision, saying it was a bad idea for a public street.

At the same time, they approved putting up stop signs at an intersection north of the neighborhood and reducing the speed to 20 mph, from 25 mph.

Neighbors have complained about the amount of cut-through traffic from Village Center, County Line Square and other businesses.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, Maureen Aylward, who has lived in the subdivision since it was built, said it was meant to be private, not a place to cut through.

"Three times, I've almost been hit by a car," she said. "I don't go past 20 mph when I drive through. If they're going to back up behind me, good for them. I've had people pass me when I'm going 20 mph."

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A year ago, the board unanimously agreed to change traffic patterns in the Chasemoor neighborhood, where an estimated 500 people live.

With its decision, the village prohibited northbound traffic on Chasemoor Drive between 79th Street and Lincolnshire Drive from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, southbound traffic was barred on Chasemoor between Lincolnshire Drive or the Pace bus commuter parking lot and 79th.

According to a village memo, the changes resulted in a 70 percent reduction in northbound traffic during the morning rush hour and a 55 percent cut in southbound traffic during the evening commute.

Recently, Chasemoor residents asked for stop signs to be put up on Lincolnshire and McClintock drives, just north of Lincolnshire's connection to Chasemoor Drive.

They also requested an electronic gate, which the neighborhood would pay for.

While trustees favored the stop signs, they opposed the gate.

"The gate is probably going a little bit beyond our skis," Trustee Russell Smith said. "We all pay taxes into our road system. If Chasemoor is willing to take that (street) private, that's a whole different story, but are we, as a board, going to start getting other neighborhoods asking for gates on their streets?"

Three other trustees – Al Paveza, Joseph Snyder and Tony Schiappa – agreed.

"If they want to put a gate, it's got to be privatized. We can't have a gate there if it's a public road," Schiappa said.

However, Trustee Guy Franzese, typically an opponent of gates, said he would favor one if the other measures failed to reduce traffic and speeds.

"When Chasemoor was built, there was no Village Center. There was no Marriott hotel," he said. "There was no cut-through traffic. There was no Pace. Now, it's plagued by cut-through traffic."

Trustees voted unanimously for the stop signs and the speed reduction. Trustee Anita Mital was absent.

BURR RIDGE, IL – In many towns, the idea of gates on public streets would likely be scoffed at.

That's not the case in Burr Ridge, one of the state's wealthiest communities.

The village already has a gate on a street that connects the Arrowhead Farm and Highlands subdivisions.

That gate's purpose, the village says in documents, was to reduce cut-through traffic in either direction. When the gate is in operation, only public vehicles, including buses, can get through.

A few years ago, the Village Board voted 4-2 to allow the small Pinecrest Court subdivision off Plainfield Road to put up a gate. But a gate was never installed.

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Now, the Chasemoor homeowners association is asking for a single-arm automatic gate at the north entrance of Chasemoor Drive.

The gate would be used to stop southbound traffic between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. It would be otherwise open.

The association has offered to pay for the gate. According to a village memo, the group says it does not want to privatize the street or assume the responsibilities of maintaining it.

A year ago, the board unanimously agreed to change traffic patterns in the Chasemoor neighborhood, where an estimated 500 people live.

With its decision, the village prohibited northbound traffic on Chasemoor Drive between 79th Street and Lincolnshire Drive from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays.

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, southbound traffic was barred on Chasemoor between Lincolnshire or the Pace bus commuter parking lot and 79th.

The goal was to reduce cut-through traffic during rush hour to Village Center, County Line Square and other commercial developments.

According to the memo, the changes resulted in a 70 percent reduction in northbound traffic during the morning rush hour and a 55 percent cut in southbound traffic during the evening commute.

On Monday, the Village Board is set to review the association's gate request.

For years, one of the village's trustees, Guy Franzese, has spoken out against gates. In a 2019 session, he said, "I think they create isolationism in the village. We are trying to keep connectivity with our pathways."

Last year, the Hinsdale Village Board approved a gate for a subdivision near Hinsdale Central High School.

The subdivision wanted to shut the gate after school and during school events because students often use the neighborhood to turn around or park.

During a vote earlier in 2023, Hinsdale Trustee Scott Banke had a philosophical objection to a gate in another subdivision. He said gates add to the "negative perception of Hinsdale as an elitist town."

"I think we need to be wary of adding another line item to this negative perception," he said.

The other trustees supported the gate.

Seven industrial buildings are proposed. Townhomes are no longer in the plan.

Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Sep 25, 2024 at 4:34 pm CT

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge announced Tuesday that it received a zoning request for the demolition of CNH Industrial's complex and the construction of seven new industrial buildings.

Bridge Industrial also plans open space in the northern portion of the site at 6900 Veterans Boulevard, according to a village statement. That part is near houses in the Fieldstone subdivision.

Also in the plan is the building of a village public works facility on the southern part of the site, the village said.

The first public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Village Hall.

Last year, Bridge Industrial considered including a Costco in the development, but dropped that idea a few months ago in the face of neighbors' opposition.

Find out what's happening in Burr Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In March, the developer submitted a proposal that included a mix of townhomes on the 110-acre site.

But Bridge decided against including the homes. The developer said it did so to increase open space, provide community amenities and reduce traffic.

Bridge said it would plant more than 1,300 trees, the majority of which would be on the edges of the development.

"The proposed plan is also a significant improvement over existing conditions. The proposed buildings are 400 feet further south from the Fieldstone subdivision compared to the northern wall of the existing CNH facility," Bridge said in its application.

To accommodate the project, the developer said a traffic light was needed at Plainfield Road and High Grove Boulevard.

CNH wanted to sell the property because it was consolidating its operations.

CNH's predecessor, International Harvester, was tied to Burr Ridge's history.

According to the village, International Harvester's decision to build a research center nearby prompted residents to vote for incorporation in 1956 as the village of Harvester. The name changed to Burr Ridge six years later.

Burr Ridge's Harvester Park was named in honor of the company.

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