Suburban Group Organizes Demonstration To Stop Industrial Park

HOMEWOOD, IL — The South Suburbs for Greenspace over Concrete (SSGOC) has announced that it has organized a demonstration in opposition to the Village of Homewood’s Planning and Zoning Commission’s expected approval of an application to rezone the property the former Calumet Country Club property.

According to SSGOC, it is a multi-racial group of concerned residents of Homewood, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, South Holland and Glenwood. The group was formed out of opposition to W & E. Ventures, LLC (Diversified Partners) planned development of Calumet Country Club, located at 2136 175th St, in Homewood. The LLC is looking to create a fulfillment/trucking hub, and the group, under an Illinois Southland Against Fossil Fuel Energy(SAFE) campaign, is determined to stop it.

SSGOC is asking residents and stakeholders to show their opposition to the rezoning of the former country club, at Homewood Village Hall on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The group is recommending people arrive early, saying space is limited.

The group believes the application should not be approved, saying the LLC has "not done its due diligence on the environmental, noise, and air quality problems that their proposal would cause."

SSGOC said that in 2019, Walt Brown Jr., CEO of Diversified Partners, told the Chicago Business Journal that the company had done “18 months of due diligence” on the site. The group argues that his application only includes one traffic study.

"Brown told the publication that the site has a 'high decibel of traffic noise,' without providing any studies on the traffic noise in application to rezone," the group said in a news release.

The group claims that Homewood has not conducted any independent studies on the prospective development, including environmental impact, air quality, flooding, traffic and noise. SSGOC said it believes that this site is "not suitable to be zoned as Light Industrial because of the proximity of residential homes and the existing flooding issues area."

The SSGOC said it believes that this property is unfit to rezone, based on Homewood’s own planning ordinance. The group said the ordinance’s first listed purpose is “to protect and promote the public health, safety, comfort and welfare.”

"Allowing this area to be rezoned will be done at a detriment to the public health from increased pollution; a detriment to safety through increased truck traffic; and a detriment to the comfort and welfare of the community through increased noise and flooding," SSGOC said.

Related:

Homewood Group To Stop Calumet Country Club Redevelopment | Homewood, IL Patch