Right On Roosevelt

For years we have watched as suburban towns around Winfield have grown and changed to meet the needs of their residents. We have wondered why Winfield never grows or changes. The problem seems to be that very few of our elected officials can clearly articulate a vision and lead the village

[rightonroosevelt]

"Roosevelt Road and our Divided Community" by Dolly Pointner

Roosevelt Road is the opportunity that sits before us and is the issue that has divided our community for decades. Have the tides changed? Is it still the issue that divides us or has the propaganda machine and spin become the real issue that divides us? I make this post with a prayerful heart. For me, the politics of our town cannot be separated from my religious beliefs. I have to be true to who I am and what I believe. I will attempt to bullet point the topics to allow you to skip over the details for which you either have no interest or time to read. The Lord has compelled me to share the knowledge gained over my 17 years of service in our community. I ask for His guidance as I try to empty my thoughts and heart to those who care enough about our community to take the time to read this post. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with everything, love your neighbor as yourself, and to drill this into your children. We are not doing this well in Winfield and we, as well as our children are suffering because of it. The Roosevelt Road corridor is the greatest opportunity and issue that has divided our community since 1959. Without harnessing the development potential of the Roosevelt Road corridor, we face a very uncertain future. How do we know how the candidates seeking Village Trustee and Village President roles really feel about development of the Roosevelt Road corridor? What is a PAC? Is Roosevelt Road really the biggest thing that divides our community now or is it a PAC? 1.The Greatest Commandment This core belief becomes more challenging as an active member of our community. Serving with people that disagree with me challenges my Christianity. However, this challenge has allowed me a glimpse as to the love of the Lord for us through forgiveness as He has allowed me to forgive those who have hurt me and has taken great burdens off my heart. Unfortunately, I think I am in the minority. I see a lot more hate than love. I see a lot more uncertainty than faith and trust. I’d like to try to shed some light as to why I think this is our situation. Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. I believe we must all work to ensure that when we say yes or no to something, we are sincere and our actions prove and support it. I have come to value this belief much more than I ever could have without my community involvement. One of the greatest barriers to success and progress in a community is uncertainty. When we as individuals or as a community say yes (or no) to a pivotal issue (i.e., commercialization of Roosevelt Road, development in general, our police force, etc.) but our actions show differently, we set ourselves up to cause uncertainty, which can bring about failure and hate rather than success and love.  This is not to say I believe you cannot change your mind about an issue, change your yes to a no or vice-versa. When someone changes their mind, their reasoning needs to be spelled out clearly and fully brought to light or the uncertainty grows which sets us up for further failure and hate. This has been part of the problem in our community. Either people are changing their minds and their reasoning is not fully brought to light or their actions speak to the contrary. When this happens, our sense of trust is destroyed. We fail instead of thrive, and we see far more hate than love being displayed. This is not good for our children to see. It results in poor role models for them and in an economic environment that will not allow for our schools and community to prosper. 2. Roosevelt Road Corridor The biggest of all of the issues that has divided our community since 1959 has been the commercialization of Roosevelt Road. People have gotten involved in local politics and lawsuits have been filed because of this issue alone. Depending on which side one falls with regard to this issue, many have spent a lot of money either working toward keeping this corridor residential or working toward commercializing this corridor. While I feel a swell of support from the community for commercialization of Roosevelt Road, I also hear a swell of uncertainty. I hear a lot of people in the community asking, how do I know how those running for office really feel about anything, but most importantly, Roosevelt Road? If our own residents cannot figure it out, how do you expect the development community to figure it out? It seems that everyone knows how Tim Allen feels about developing Roosevelt Road, but the propaganda portrays everyone else as either Tim Allen drones or 180 degrees from him. One of the largest barriers for a developer coming to a community is uncertainty. Developers’ second favorite answer is no. Of course, their favorite answer is yes, but they would rather have a clear no than to waste a lot of money working to bring forth a good project to a community that is mired with controversy. Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. If you change your mind, bring to full light the reasons why. Roosevelt Road Commercialization, YES or NO? How do we know how the candidates seeking to be elected really feel? I submit some lengthy observations from the past decades of elections to allow people to see my point of view and bring this issue into the light. First of all, you need to watch the candidates’ night video athttp://www.winfieldjuniors.org/. The candidates that participated are all clearly on record of supporting commercialization of Roosevelt Road. This has been a key development issue since 1959 when legal action began regarding the zoning of this property. For decades, there has been at least one question about Roosevelt Road development at candidates’ night. Could this be the real reason why some candidates did not participate in candidates’ night? They would like to tell you that I have done something wrong in coordinating this event with the League of Women Voters. I stand before my Lord to tell you that this is one of the most important events a community can have during a contested election and that there is nothing biased or unfair about this event. Now that it is clear to the community that our future depends in large part upon developing Roosevelt Road, the candidates that did not participate in candidates’ night have come forward to defend themselves with sign toppers on their signs saying Development YES. They put out a glossy campaign piece that says they want development, but they want it done right. Why aren’t people trusting this? There is too much information out there in real newspapers, in public records, and under sworn oath that proves their position AGAINST Roosevelt Road commercialization. Do not get me wrong here, I 100% want them to be for Roosevelt Road commercialization. I am on record consistently as being 100% for Roosevelt Road Commercialization, dating back into the 90’s. I have always said that our Town Center can only be developed and thrive with a Roosevelt Road gateway and a strong partnership with CDH/Cadence. If these candidates are truly for Roosevelt Road commercialization, my prayer has been answered. However, before my (and I am sure the development community’s) uncertainty can be removed, I need the reasoning for this change in opinion to be brought to light. I base my opinions of candidates being for or against Roosevelt Road commercialization on the statements and actions they have personally made or taken.  In the last year, Erik Spande is on public record as voting against rezoning Roosevelt Road. If I were running for Village President, after hearing that Costco was interested I would have immediately corroborated it with a phone call or personal meeting rather than to state to the newspaper that “there’s no corroboration,” and that it is a “blue sky” idea. These are not actions of someone looking to bring commercialization to Roosevelt Road for Winfield. These statements are found in this daily herald article. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130319/news/703199723/ Jack Bajor and Phil Mustes are under sworn testimony at plan commission public hearings as not wanting Roosevelt Road zoning changed. By the way, I do not have any problems with these gentlemen or with WU for not wanting to commercialize Roosevelt Road. They are entitled to their opinions. I just believe that in order for us to prosper and succeed, we need to be very clear to the residents and to the development community about what we want, and do not want. As I mentioned before, the second best answer to a developer is NO. Jim McCurdy would be the exception to the viewpoints of WU candidates. He is a newcomer to the political scene and there is not much that can be found in the public record. Based on the limited conversations I have had with him, I do believe he is in support of commercializing Roosevelt Road.  If Jack, Erik, and Phil have changed their position and will support Roosevelt Road commercialization then our future looks bright, the great divide of Winfield is over, and everyone can stop fighting. However, just saying you are not anti-development with a sign topper or in a glossy political piece published by your PAC does not make you pro-development.  Some history and knowing how the Village presidents and Village president candidates of the past few decades have viewed this controversial subject of Roosevelt Road can also help shed some light on this issue. Starting in the 90’s with Marylou Crane as Village president, we see that she lived across from Jack Bajor in the interior of a block that we are now considering the “Roosevelt Road corridor.” While she still owns this house, it is not her primary residence. The properties owned by Jack and Marylou are right next to more than 15 acres of land that was just granted B-1 zoning by the Village Board this week. Marylou endorses WU candidate Erik Spande. Marylou’s term as Village President was challenged by John Kirschbaum. John Kirschbaum beat Marylou in the Village president race and he supports Roosevelt Road development and endorses Rob Hanlon, who also supports Roosevelt Road development. John Kirschbaum, is responsible for getting the the development ball rolling during his tenure. This unfortunately resulted in the formation of the WU PAC because they were unhappy with this and wanted to put an end to many of the development programs that began under his administration. WU chose Rudy Czech (who had been a trustee for many years) as their first candidate to run for Village President in 2005. With the support of WU, Rudy Czech won the election, beating out Chris Levan. Chris Levan was clearly a supporter of Roosevelt Road commercialization. He wrote a position paper that was presented at a Village board meeting and circulated throughout the village. Sustainable revenues became a buzz word because of this position paper. This paper portrayed why Roosevelt Road commercialization was essential to our Village. Talk to Rudy and Chris. Listen to what they have said at Village Board Meetings and in public records. Rudy will tell you that WU withdrew their support of him and instead chose Deb Birutis as their candidate for Village president in 2009. Was it because Rudy had become vocal about commercialization of Roosevelt Road or was it because Deb had written a position paper in opposition to Chris Levan’s vision for Roosevelt Road? I think both. Deb stated in her paper that no development was needed on Roosevelt Road. She stated in her position paper that all the revenue we needed could be obtained through the development of our Town Center. You can see some of Rudy’s comments here in his endorsement of Rob Hanlon. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-22/news/chi-20130322-czech_briefs_1_fresh-face-home-values-winfield-united This all brought about another brutal election in 2009. We had four candidates for Village president - Angel Oakley, Tony Reyes, Rudy Czech, and Deb Birutis. Deb Birutis was the only president candidate supported by WU and was the only candidate in favor of keeping the Roosevelt Road corridor residential. She won the election with the significant financial support of the WU PAC. If you look at all of the people who have attempted to lead our Village over the last years, they can be put into two columns. In the first column we have three people - Marylou Crane, Deb Birutis, and Erik Spande. Marylou and Deb are clearly part of the WU PAC, have several actions and statements showing they are against Roosevelt Road commercialization, and endorse Erik Spande. The other column consists of everyone else - John Kirschbaum, Chris Levan, Rudy Czech, Angel Oakley, Tony Reyes, and Rob Hanlon. Everyone in the second column endorses Rob Hanlon. I know all nine of these people personally, and I do call them all friends. The fact that Rob Hanlon has brought together six of these nine leaders is really kind of miraculous. I believe the only reason Rob does not have endorsements from Deb and Marylou is that thing that keeps dividing us. The WU PAC. 4. What is a PAC? A PAC is a political action committee. WU is not the only PAC in town. When you are seeking public office, you have to set up a PAC. The money to run these campaigns needs to be reported. The only PAC in town that has survived the last five elections is the WU PAC. Two-thirds of the last nine people mentioned above that have sought to lead our Village as president are miraculously in agreement, only being divided from the other third by the WU PAC. The WU PAC has not changed their position in the last five elections on the Roosevelt Road corridor. I’ve talked to developers, politicians, attorneys, and most importantly residents. I am hard pressed to find anyone that believes that WU is pro-development other than those people who clearly support the ideals of the PAC. WU historically has supported candidates that are against development of Roosevelt Road. This is not only seen in the happenings mentioned above, but is clearly seen during the last election. https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110317/news/703179672/ This is a link to an article published in the March 18, 2011 Daily Herald during the last election that describes WU as follows: “One of Winfield United's major platforms has been a desire to keep commercial development from taking place along Roosevelt Road.” The article goes on to quote WU member Jed Skillman as saying his viewpoint is based on what he was drawn to Winfield for in the first place. "It's a competing view of the future of Winfield," he said. "Our view of Winfield is not as a shopping center, not as a retail center. We moved here from Cook County and the first thing we saw were the trees. The view of Winfield United, that's what we want. We all moved here for that. We want what we paid for." So what really divides us? Is it Roosevelt Road commercialization that divides us today, or is it the WU PAC? I think it is the WU PAC. I think some of the candidates the WU PAC is running will eventually be bold enough to support commercialization of Roosevelt Road. My hope is that they are bold enough to bring their support into full light and contact the property owners and the Costco developer to let them know that they have their full support. If they do not do this, I fear we will lose Costco to West Chicago. I also fear the PAC will make it difficult for these candidates. I arrive at this belief because of statements Rudy Czech and Jim Hughes (formerly supported by the PAC) have made in public and to me personally. I pray today that I am wrong. I pray today that the Lord looks upon Winfield with favor and that we are blessed enough to get a Costco and a beautiful Roosevelt Road corridor. I pray that the Lord will guide us and protect us through this difficult process of change and progress. I pray that regardless of the outcome of this election, we will all be able to forgive and love our neighbors as ourselves. May the peace of the Lord be with us all.

[rightonroosevelt]

"Could a man who’s been villanized actually be a hero?" by Angel Oakley

There are moments in history, where we have paused to acknowledge the significance of a moment. I hope it is clear to all that Winfield just had one of those moments. On Thursday, March 4, 2013, the Winfield Village Board Voted to override a veto by President Birutis, on the rezoning of several properties along Roosevelt Road from residential to commercial. Winfield’s Roosevelt Road Corridor has been in the thralls of controversy over zoning for more than 50 years. While this new ruling may actually increase controversy for a period of time, it has forced the issue to be addressed and acted upon rather than continuing to suppress the issue and the residents who wanted to be rezoned.  So what now, why is this so significant? Some will say: How can we call this historic or a success when we have a big jigsaw puzzle mess of commercial and residential mixed together and no comprehensive plan to clarify our future?  We don’t have enough commercial continuity to build anything of value. The area has acres of wetlands. There are residents who don’t want to move. There are residents who don’t want commercial in their back yard. There are so many, oh so many, reasons to abandon this train wreck. Who’s dumb idea was this anyway?  Oh, ya, a majority of residents voted to elect Tim Allen and Tony Reyes in 2011, based on a promise to commercialize Roosevelt Road with a result of No New Taxes. They set forth a vision of making this corridor a profit center for Winfield. They Dared to Dream! And, The People elected them in support of this Dream.

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” (Shel Silverstein)

So while to some, there may be a long list of reasons why Roosevelt Road is just a fairy tale dream. I want to remind you it’s “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” (Think_Different, Apple Computers) The big audacious dream: It’s pretty clear that Winfield NEEDS at least a $1.2 million dollars more per year in additional reoccurring revenue to fund the necessary obligations. Winfield also needs to address the $10 million dollar deficit (for police pension funding and infrastructure maintenance). Tim Allen understood Winfield’s plight, his goal was to fill that $1-2 million dollar a year gap.  How? The primary focus has been profitable business development.

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable." (Christopher Reeve)

The dream of commercializing Roosevelt Road, has seemed improbable to many for decades, primarily because of land assemblage.  However, when Trustee Allen started calling residential landowners along Roosevelt Road he was surprised to find that so many of them had been long in favor of commercialization. About the same time a friend called Tim to tell him that Costco had just backed out of the opportunity to locate on the former Hubble Middle School site.  Costco, third largest retailer in the nation, reports an average of $150 million per store annually. That would equate to $1.5 million in sales tax revenue to Winfield. He called Costco, and finally was directed to Mike Stratis, Regional Site Selector. The conversation proved very positive, and both Costco and Meijer “interest” were expressed.  Shortly after his talk with Mike Stratis, Intrepid Properties mailed a letter to the residents on Roosevelt Road letting them know there was interest from large retailers.

When Tim was notified of the letter he was both elated and nervous. Things were moving faster than he had anticipated, and he felt it was better to let the residents’ petition for rezoning be voted upon before anyone started discussing an opportunity for a Costco development. However, residents began contacting Mike Stratus, and word started to travel about development interest.

In many ways the concept of a Costco and Meijer is a “Dream” come true. It would solve the financial issues Winfield faces. Both stores have great reputations and would be excellent municipal partners. But the road from “interest” to a “finished development” is long and the terrain is unknown. However, the “Dream” of generating $1-2 million in additional reoccurring revenue is taking shape. In the end, will it include a Costco and/or Meijer? No one is 100% certain. But, here Winfield stands with a newly rezoned commercial area on Roosevelt Road, and out of the gate, there is interest from top retailers in the country. You bet Tim Allen, Jay Olson, Jim Hughes, and Tony Reyes are determined to vet this opportunity with a positive and welcoming approach, because that’s how Dreams do become Reality!  

So, let us move forward with Positive Thinking and a Grateful Heart!   Thanks Tim Allen! 

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have tobe crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” (Think_Different, Apple Computers)

[rightonroosevelt]

Winfield Board Overrides Veto of Roosevelt Zoning via DailyHerald.com

Winfield Village President Deborah Birutis on Thursday failed to stop portions of Roosevelt Road from being rezoned.

And the two candidates looking to replace the outgoing Birutis say they have no plans to reverse the zoning change.  But Trustee Erik Spande and his opponent in the village president race, Rob Hanlon, also agree commercial redevelopment of the stretch of Roosevelt that runs through Winfield shouldn't happen until after the village updates its comprehensive plan.

"Any action regarding Roosevelt Road should wait until the new comprehensive plan is complete for this area," Spande said. "Then the plan for this area will be vetted by a professional planner and will have had a full community review."

Hanlon said he's committed to "removing barriers to progress" in developing business along Roosevelt.

Still, he added: "We need to complete our approved comprehensive planning process to understand the impacts on our village."

The process of revising the comprehensive plan is expected to start soon and take about 18 months to complete, officials said.

Trustees Tim Allen, Tony Reyes, James Hughes and Jay Olson have been pushing to commercialize Roosevelt to create a larger revenue base for the cash-strapped village.

They voted last month to give more than a dozen residential parcels along Roosevelt, Garys Mill and Wynwood roads a business zoning classification.

And on Thursday, the four trustees overturned Birutis' veto of the rezoning plan. Allen said the vote to override the veto was "necessary."

"It is about sustainable revenues," Allen said after the meeting. "We need to make money. And we need to make it up on Roosevelt Road, where most of the traffic is at."

Thursday's vote was the third time the four trustees were able to successfully override a veto by Birutis.

Birutis attempted her latest veto after arguing the March 7 rezoning vote was illegal. She claimed the rezoning was done without a recommendation from the village plan commission, which had postponed its discussion on Roosevelt until May. She also said the zoning trustees approved allows "virtually any type of business with no buffer to the adjacent residential lots."

Because of those factors, Spande said he "cannot in good conscience support the rezoning as it stands."

Still, Spande has no plans to try to undo the zoning change it if he's elected village president on Tuesday.

"If I am elected to be village president and the rezoning is upheld by the courts," Spande said, "I am not inclined to rezone back to residential."

Meanwhile, Hanlon called the decision by the four trustees to override Birutis' veto "symbolic."

"It reinforces the residents' desired consensus, signaled by published campaign commitments from all candidates to develop business on Roosevelt Road," Hanlon said.

If elected village president, Hanlon said he would seek businesses "with revenue generating power and credibility."

Read More

[rightonroosevelt]

"Awesome signs up on Winfield & Roosevelt" via winfield411.com

These appeared a little while ago!   (They’ll probably be taken down soon but we love them!)

Read more!

[rightonroosevelt]

A History of Blocked Roosevelt Rd Development

How many times have you heard that a developer has never had any interest in Winfield for Roosevelt Rd?  

How many times have you heard WU candidates and financial supporters say they support commercialization of Roosevelt as long as it’s done correctly?

Raise your hands!!  Lots.   

It’s being splattered all over Facebook, and it is 100% a complete lie.    They have never supported commercialization of Roosevelt Rd.

How many times have you heard that this 411 blog and its readers are the source of all the hate in this community?   Raise those hands, again!

That’s not true either.  What we are doing – all of you in the 411 community - we are standing up against a local political action committee’s manipulation and outright dishonesty.  Standing up for yourself and speaking out against a smear campaign is NOT a bad thing, and I refuse to stay silent like they want.There are rumors of other squashed development efforts, but so far, these are the ones I can substantiate.

So I present to you:

A History of Blocked Developments

Near Winfield Rd & Roosevelt Rd   

  Example #1  – Year 1988

Back in 1988, Winfield rejected a proposal from Mobil Oil on the northwest corner, aka the Kucius property.(1)  It was for a car wash, gas station and convenience store.  The Marathon station (on the northeast corner) across the street was vacant at the time.

“Zoning Board members said they were concerned about increased traffic congestion at the intersection and about storm drainage problems on the largely wooded site. They also wereconcerned about setting a precedent by establishing a business district away from the town’s center.”(1)

“The officials also feared that allowing one business to open on Roosevelt would lead to many others.  For the most part, Roosevelt Road in Winfield is lined by trees, homes and open space. …  Village officials expressed hope that the property would be developed for residential use.”(2)

When the Kucius family sued the Village, it cost the Village $250,000. (4)   The Kucius family lost their lawsuit.

The Dupage County Complex was already in preliminary construction in 1988, and opened in 1990.            

Example #2 – Year 2000

In 2000, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the 18.23 acres on the north and south sides of Roosevelt be rezoned to make it more attractive to development.  Future WU elected Trustee Joel Kunesh (who was on the plan commission at the time), who voted against the recommendation, said it “would invite more traffic problems and change the area’s “rustic” look.” He further says “I don’t see that much potential [tax revenue to the village] and if it’s not in Winfield’s interest, why do it? I know we don’t need any more traffic on Roosevelt than we have.” (3)   Kunesh kept that refrain when he was elected Trustee five years later.    Trustee Stan Zegel said “he supports the village’s long-standing policy to preserve the area for “estate residential use” and will vote against the zoning change. (3)

“That could impact our quiet and peaceful neighborhood, which is why we moved out here, [Mary] Cooper said. “

“[The village board] have assured residents that they would reject any plan that designated the property commercial.  In a rare move, they also voted to send a directive to the [plan] commission to drop the issue from consideration. “(4)

“It’s been residential for the last 30 years, and how many houses do you see on it?” – Chris Mackowiak, who supported the rezoning.

“The Mobil case gave rise to a residents group called Wooded Winfield – and the land pretty muchhas remained sacrosanct ever since.”(4)

Example #3

“The village’s planning board has approved the creation of two residential zoning districts that would increase the minimum lot size and effectively prevent subdivision in an area that is now considered the village’s slice of open, uncluttered country.” (6)

Lots in my neighborhood are approx. 15,000sq ft (about 1/3 acre).  The change in the zoning area requires 40,000 sq ft (almost 1 acre) south of Roosevelt Rd, and 30,000 sq ft (almost ¾ acre) just north of Roosevelt Rd.  Coincidentally that’s where MaryLou Crane lived, who was a Trustee at time.  Trustee John Grothman “called the ordinance short-sighted and myopic.”(6)

This residential overlay ordinance was recently repealed by the Village Board, in an effort led by Tim Allen.

Example #4

I almost didn’t include this one from 2004, since it’s about the Village trying to annex the Planter’s Palette land which never happened.  But the last two sentences caught my eye.

“And in 1997, Zegel helped lead an effort to remove a software company from doing business in a residence along the road[Roosevelt].    “It’s an oasis that gets you away from the hubbub of Wheaton,” Zegel said.”(5)

Which sounds completely different from running a newspaper out of your residence, now doesn’t it?

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

WU candidate Phil Mustes has said that Costco “will be a scar on Winfield for the next 50 years.” Do you want commercial revenue funding  coming into this Village or not?   Vote Blackburn, Olson, Jacques and Hanlon for President.  And that is MY ENDORSEMENT.  I don’t contribute thousands of dollars; I contribute my TIME.  I contribute my emotional energy getting hate mail from WU executives, candidates and supporters.

 The next time you hear that Winfield has never had any development interested in Roosevelt Rd, why don’t YOU set them straight?   The Village People of 411 have a louder voice than you think.   Send them to www.Winfield411.com.

VOTE. and get your NEIGHBORS to VOTE.  Otherwise, the Dark Side(a) wins.

 (a) I called THEM the Dark Side first!

 ———————————————————————————————–

References

1)       Board douses car wash plan in winfield.  (1988, Jan 20) Chicago Tribune p 11-11.

2)       Winfield denies zoning for gas station. (1988 Mar 16) Chicago Tribune p6-6.

3)       Winfield panel eyes development sites (2000 Nov 15) Chicago Tribune p7-2D-7.

4)       Winfield residents, board oppose commercial plan for land.  (2000, Dec 10) Daily Herald p6-6

5)       Winfield looking to broaden its borders. (2004, Mar 03) Daily Herald pp4-4

6)       Winfield’s rural atmosphere at center of estate zoning battle.  (1990, Nov 06) Chicago Tribune p 4-4.

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[rightonroosevelt]

How did Costco become interested in Winfield?

By now, if you have looked in your mail you have seen the direct mail from the good people at RightOnRoosevelt.com informing you that they were solicited by Mike Stratis who is the site selector for Costco for a new store.

You are probably wondering how this all came about.

Last year as the Marathon & Fire Station Rezoning from residential to commercial was working it’s way through the planning commission, commissioners Karen Skillman, Peter Dopper and Dennis Clark postponed the process for 3 months saying that they would keep postponing a decision until “the cows came home“.

I was frustrated and needed to keep moving the needle on commercializing Roosevelt Road. I knew the two corners would be easy so I called the land owners and solicited them to change their zoning. They both said yes. Then I walked the length of the North side of Roosevelt from Winfield to Wynwood and to my amazement all of them were in favor except one.....

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[rightonroosevelt]

[rightonroosevelt]

Winfield Illinois

Winfield Candidates Night 2013

Jay Olson - Trustee Candidate

Charles Jacques - Trustee Candidate

Tom Blackburn - Trustee Candidate

Rob Hanlon - President Candidate (Mayor)

[rightonroosevelt]

Winfield votes to rezone portions of Roosevelt Road via dailyherald.com

Saying the time has come to create a larger revenue base for Winfield, a majority of village board members Thursday pushed through a controversial proposal to rezone portions of Roosevelt Road.

The decision by four of the six trustees to rezone 14 residential parcels along Roosevelt and Garys Mill roads was made despite opposition from residents and the village attorney repeatedly advising the board to postpone the vote.

"We are opening our door for business, and I am very proud to be part of that," said Trustee Jay Olson, who approved the ordinance along with trustees Tim Allen, Tony Reyes and James Hughes.

Village President Deborah Birutis said she is planning to veto the zoning change. However, the board is expected to override that veto on April 4.

Olson called the move to rezone the parcels to a commercial zoning classification "the right thing" for the village to do.

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[rightonroosevelt]

WINFIELD AIN’T THE FARM ANYMORE

My name is Jack Bachman. I live in Winfield on a 2.4 acre parcel of land on Roosevelt Road. When I moved into my house years ago, Roosevelt was a sleepy two-lane road. It’s now a four lane State highway and in the next year or so the Illinois Department of Transportation is going to expand Roosevelt again by 6 feet. By the time they are done cutting down the trees in front of my house and moving the culvert, I should be able to catch a cab from my front door. I would like to move out of this house to a quieter location.  I would like to sell my house for what it is worth. But if the Village of Winfield won’t allow me to rezone my property to commercial, who will buy this house from me? Winfield isn’t farmland anymore. It’s suburbia. It’s time to face reality and allow landowners like myself to move with our assets and investments intact. - Jack Bachman

[rightonroosevelt]

For years we have watched as suburban towns around Winfield have grown and changed to meet the needs of their residents. We have wondered why Winfield never grows or changes. The problem seems to be that very few of our elected officials can clearly articulate a vision and lead the village

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[rightonroosevelt]

35+ YEARS, WE’VE SEEN IT ALL

We are Richard and Vivian Blossfield.  Vivian was born and raised in our home and I am a 35 year resident of Winfield. We live on a large lot, almost 4 acres, on Garys Mill Rd in Southwest Winfield…during our 35 years together, various Village Board’s have changed our zoning, against our strong objections, three (3) times. The second time our zoning was changed was in the early 1990’s when Stan Zegel and Wooded Winfield targeted our property and some of our neighbors to prevent any development.  A compromise was reached and we thought that would be the end of it.

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