LTHS Moving Toward Selling Willow Springs Land

LA GRANGE, IL – Lyons Township High School board members this week appeared to agree on selling the school's Willow Springs land to pay for building upgrades.

But they said they needed to consider swapping land with the local park district before putting the 70 acres on the market.

Pleasant Dale Park District has a few acres along Willow Springs Road that jut out into the school's land. Officials said a rectangular site would be more appealing to developers.

The idea is to swap the park district's land for some of the high school's acres.

Attorney James Levi told the board that developers may use the park district's land as an excuse to offer a lower price.

"Developers want the path of least resistance to get their project completed," said Levi, who is with the Itasca-based Hodges Loizzi law firm.

Board member Tim Albores said the No. 1 goal is to get the most money possible from a sale. Another goal, he said, was to support the land's neighbors by selling to a developer with a project that is "within the zoning."

Albores also noted the interest of Pleasantdale School District 107, which has an elementary school next to the high school's land, in getting 6 acres of the 70 acres.

At a meeting last month, board President Jill Grech said the elementary district indicated the acres could be purchased, donated or a combination of both.

When Albores mentioned a donation, member Michael Thomas took exception.

"Land swap and donation are two different things, so let's stick to land swap," Thomas said.

Through much of 2022, the high school negotiated secretly with an industrial developer to sell the land. When that effort became publicly known in early 2023, residents loudly objected. They said that industry shouldn't be next to houses and a school.

For months, the school board held closed meetings on selling the land, which the attorney general later ruled should have been open. Last year, the board was forced to release recordings from two of the sessions.

The recordings showed that board members worked to keep the village of Willow Springs, the elementary district and the park district out of the loop.

Over the last year, though, the school board switched course and held meetings with officials from the other public bodies. Board members have vowed to stay close to what zoning requires, noting the village bans industrial uses on the land in question.

At this week's meeting, Levi said the zoning only permits schools on the 70 acres. But he said the village's recommendation also allows large-lot homes.

"Any development of this property will have to go through the village for approval," the attorney said.

He also said the school board must go out and seek a buyer.

"You have to decide what you will present to the buyer to buy," he said.

He suggested the school form a small committee to look into options such as a land swap before finding a buyer.

Members generally agreed with that idea.