In an effort to appease Orland Park trustees who rejected his proposed development last week, developer Ray Dignan will present to the Village Board on June 19 a new plan that will place a conservation easement on two lots in a wooded area off 108th Avenue.
The board, by a 4-2 vote, rejected the proposed 17 single-family houses on 16 acres off Wolf Road and stretching to the 14500 block of 108th Avenue, saying the plan would destroy several towering oak trees on one lot during the construction process. Dignan had said his original plan would only destroy 15 of the 360 oak and hickory trees in the area. Trustees disagreed, saying construction would not kill the trees immediately but would eventually cause their demise.
Mayor Daniel McLaughlin, who voted against the proposal, offered another solution to save all the trees. He proposed that a quarter-acre area be preserved by donating it to the Parks Department, with the village purchasing the remainder.
Dignan rejected that proposal, saying he wanted to keep the land private. He added that he was surprised that the board rejected his plan after the Planning Commission and the Community Development Committee passed the plan. His new plan, he said, will keep the same number of lots.
“Right now with this plan I will have the most beautiful lots in Orland Park. It’s a compromise, and I see their point of view. It was just a matter of taking a deep breath and working together to make something work,” Dignan said.
The future owners of the lots will have to agree to leave the area in its current state.
Bob Sullivan, director of community development, said in the end the village will achieve its goal.