A development of 166 townhouses at Highland Avenue and 31st Street could devastate the ecological balance at the site, experts told Village Board members Monday night.
Large-scale construction at the 33-acre site would reduce space for native plants and animals, said Dennis Nyberg, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Construction and the influx of people would inflict “a great deal of harm,” especially to such animals as frogs, turtles and snakes, Nyberg said.
Installing a water retention system, as planned by developers, also would harm bio-diversity on the property by introducing foreign species and pollution, Nyberg said.
Kirk Logory, a village resident and ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory, said commissioners also should be wary of a November survey of the site’s plants and animals, conducted by builder Town and Country Homes, because many species are not easily found during the dormant cold months. He also said the site may play a stronger role in storm-water drainage for the area than people realize.
A ballot proposal was approved in March allowing the Downers Grove Park District to kick in $3 million toward the purchase of the property, which is next to the Lyman Woods natural area. The $3 million will be available only if conservation advocates find additional funding sources for the purchase.
Village plan commissioners and members of the Zoning Board of Appeals last month unanimously approved Town and Country Homes’ final plan for the property. Townhouses in the subdivision are expected to sell for upward of $200,000.
Members of the ecology alliance have been working with the Conservation Foundation of DuPage County to find the remaining funds to add to the $3 million so they can purchase the property. Developers have said the property is worth at least $14 million.