The Cook County Board on Wednesday approved the rezoning of 87 acres in Palos Township for a proposed residential subdivision, even though the Forest Preserve District has long-range plans to purchase the parcel for open space.
The rezoning of the land, between 131st and 135th Streets and west of Wolf Road, will enable property owner Robert Gallagher to pursue his plans to build 151 single-family homes. The Forest Preserve District dropped its objection to the rezoning after negotiating a donation from Gallagher of 80 acres of wetlands, known as Doctor Marsh, near 153rd Street and Wolf Road in Orland Park.
The 87-acre site, to be developed by Gallagher & Henry, had been included in the Forest Preserve District’s master plan for open land that ought to be acquired, said Commissioner Herbert Schumann.
Schumann opposed the development and called the agreement “a great deal” for the developers. In return for the County Board’s support for the new subdivision, Schumann said, the developers are trading away land that couldn’t be developed because it lies in a wetland.
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Cassandra Moran, director of the Palos Orland Conservation Committee, said she was disappointed by the county’s decision. “It’s going to be a disaster” because of the added traffic and the disruption to the natural environment and wildlife, she said.