Orland Park is holding off on plans to annex 33 acres near 109th Avenue and 153rd Street after hearing concerns from residents of the unincorporated area.
Kenneth Krajniak, who lives on 109th Avenue, said incorporating the area into the village would place financial strain on his neighbors, many of whom are on fixed incomes and have lived in their homes for decades, through increased property taxes.
“In our view, this is not a minor administrative matter, as annexation affects the lives of people who live in this neighborhood — our taxes, our services, our property rights, our representation and the future character of our community,” Krajniak said at Monday’s Village Board meeting.
A petition opposing the village’s annexation plan had 21 signatures Monday, Krajniak said. Village Manager George Koczwara said it became a high priority to annex the area after village police helped respond there after shots were fired at a short-term rental property in May.
If the area was annexed into Orland Park, ordinances would no longer allow for short-term rentals there. Koczwara said the unincorporated area is completely surrounded by the village, so issues with short-term rentals there could easily affect residents.
“If it’s more of this type of Airbnb-type product in the county, then that is problematic for the village as a whole,” Koczwara said. “Because even though it’s on that street, it does impact the quality of life in the area.”
Orland Park officials said they expect property tax bills of those in the unincorporated area to increase about 6% once the neighborhood is annexed into the village.
Krajniak said he and his neighbors recognized potential benefits to annexation, including access to village services, “but these potential gains should not outweigh the present concerns and become a financial burden to our residents.”
Similar frustrations were shared previously by residents east of Wolf Road between 171st and 175th streets, some of whom came to a meeting in December to oppose the annexation of their neighborhood.
The board voted 3-2 to move forward with the annexation of that area but on Monday agreed to table the proposal to incorporate the 109th Avenue and 153rd Street neighborhood. Mayor Jim Dodge asked to organize another meeting with residents, recognizing the village and area residents are not “100% aligned on the facts.”
“I’m in favor of this, but there’s no reason for us necessarily to rush it tonight, because I think it’s probably worthy of another conversation,” Dodge said.
143rd Street widening update
The Village Board also approved letters of intent from the Illinois Department of Transportation to begin work on widening 143rd Street from West Avenue to Southwest Highway and Will-Cook Road to Wolf Road. The village also plans to widen the stretch from Wolf Road to West Avenue.
The Department of Transportation in May agreed to increase its maximum spending from $2 million to $10 million on the first phase of the project, widening West Avenue to Southwest Highway, according to its updated letter of intent.
The village has secured $20 million from the state and federal governments to widen the first section and add a traffic signal and railroad crossing at 143rd Street and Southwest Highway.
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Construction is expected from 2027 through 2028, the village said in a July 2 video about the project.