Developer's Soccer Field Proposal Hits the Crossbar

Speed and quickness will definitely be encouraged in the athletes who would use the proposed soccer fields along Weyer Road. However, the same does not hold true for the approval process with the village to construct those very fields.

Plan Commissioners on Tuesday pulled the reins on the project’s approval progress because the site plan was lacking in details. Frank O’Connor, of Franklynn Developments, has proposed installing four soccer fields and a parking lot on 10 acres of vacant land south of Lisbon Road and west of Weyer Road.

For O’Connor, the heat is on to gain approval for the soccer field project. He has a tentative deal to purchase the land from the current owners, but the option on this deal expires on July 6.

O’Connor needs the OK from the Plan Commission so his proposal can go forward to the Village Board for approval on July 5. If all goes well, he can ink the deal that same night with the landowners.

“I’m not opposed to this necessarily, but there are too many questions that need to be addressed,” said Village President Randy Newman. “Rarely do I see something that comes to the Plan Commission with so many questions in the community development report.”

On the same day that he appeared before the Plan Commission, O’Connor submitted a revised plan for the fields to the village. O’Connor met last week with neighbors who voiced concerns about the original plan and he has made a number of revisions to appease them.

“That’s not fair to us to only have a day to look at this project when we have people who will be affected by this,” Newman said.

A laundry list of details — from the location of the dumpsters to a few flaws in the landscaping plan — plague the project right now. Commissioners agreed to hold a special meeting June 28. O’Connor has a little more than three weeks to present a cohesive plan to commissioners.

“I don’t foresee any problems getting the getting the revised plans to the commissioners,” O’Connor said

Some neighbors give the plan a red card

As with nearly all development projects in the village, there are a score of neighbors who like the idea of the project itself — just not in their backyards. The sentiment was the same among neighbors living near the proposed soccer fields.

“My living room window would look right out onto this field, and I’ve lived there since 1958,” said resident Leroy Schmidt. “This is going to be my weekends now, sitting on my decking and listening to this noise.”

According to O’Connor, the fields would cater primarily to adult soccer and la crosse teams. There wouldn’t be lights constructed so the games would end by 9 p.m., and the fields would be utilized from May to October.

Neighbors also worried that the fields would increase vehicle traffic on an already narrow and deteriorated Weyer Road, which most described as a true “country road.”

“The fields will introduce a minimum of 80 cars along our narrow, quiet, country road,” said resident Brian Hinton. “I’m deeply concerned about the effects these fields will have on our neighborhood.”

O’Connor said street parking would be prohibited and enforced. He also said he would encourage car-pooling and limit the amount of parking passes issued to teams those that use the fields to avoid overflow from the parking lot.