Public Hearing Planned For Proposed Glenbard West Expansion

GLEN ELLYN, IL — A public hearing will be held at the May 22 plan commission meeting to discuss proposed additions to Glenbard West High School.

The proposed expansion comes as part of a $183 bond referendum that was favored by voters in the March 2024 election. This addition is set to include 13,800 square feet of classroom space and 7, 200 square feet of student commons space.

The expansion would be built just off the northwest portion of the high school's current campus.

In a cover letter to Glen Ellyn Community Development Director Jennifer Heneghan regarding the proposal, developers wrote, "The School District greatly appreciates its strong partnership with the Village of Glen Ellyn. To that effect, the School District hopes to address any concerns that may exist related to the appropriateness of the current school site development. At the same time, the School District hopes that its previous efforts to create and maintain a safe and functional school site, as well as their efforts to be a good neighbor, will be recognized by the Village in consideration of any required variation requests."

As part of the request, Glenbard Township High School District 87 is seeking approval of several zoning variations. These include variances in the current zoning requirements for building height, stair height, loading spaces and parking stalls.

Nearly three dozen trees will be removed to accommodate the construction, per village documents. Landscaping plans include the addition of 31 trees and 145 shrubs.

Per village documents, "Staff has no concerns with the proposed traffic plans for construction as long as the existing operations assumptions are accurate and true."

The documents additionally state, "Much of the success of the proposed plan will depend on the school district's traffic management during peak hours, and it will be the responsibility of the school district to perform these traffic management functions to meet the needs of the site users and surrounding traffic."

The public hearing is set for May 22 at 7 p.m.