The Homer Glen Village Board approved Commonwealth Edison’s proposal to modernize its substation on Bell Road by a 4-2 vote after a lengthy discussion Wednesday, in which board members asked how the area could be beautified so the impact of a nearly 59-foot tall building is minimized.
The project replaces obsolete equipment at the existing substation, 14546 S. Bell Road, with modern equipment that will be enclosed to provide more reliable electric service, ComEd officials said.
The substation was built in the 1950s.
Plans include constructing a primary building nearly 59-feet tall and a smaller building at nearly 21 feet on about 4 acres of ComEd’s property.
There are also plans to build a security fence topped with barbed wire, remove 11 old power line poles and install 21 transmission structures. The structures would be standalone poles, or monopoles, and not lattice towers. The enclosed equipment offers less visible infrastructure and better protection from the weather, ComEd officials said.
The company will plant about 160 trees and 500 native shrubs, grasses and perennial plants along Bell Road, an existing bike path and other affected areas, said Scott Saef, an attorney for the project. Dense evergreens between 8- and 12-feet tall will be planted along Bell Road, he said. ComEd will also create a rest stop along the bike path with benches, landscaping and a bicycle repair area.
Trustee Rose Reynders, who along with Trustee Mike Lepore cast the sole no votes, said she felt bullied by ComEd to approve the project. She tried to reduce the height of the building, but ComEd officials said that would effectively kill the project.
Trustees also asked if ComEd could lower the building further into the ground, creating a deeper basement, but officials said the transmission lines and infrastructure that will be buried are about as deep as they can possibly go.
The size of the building is inconsistent with Homer Glen’s rural feel, Reynders said.
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“I believe the residents are going to be the ones who are going to suffer,” Reynders said. “To create this huge albatross in the middle of our residential area is just uncharacteristic of everything we fought for for Homer Glen. We have fought to keep this a rural, charming town.”
Lisa Aprati, external affairs manager for ComEd, said the project’s design was done with Homer Glen’s community in mind. The utility company has worked with the village and other governmental bodies since February 2025.
“We listened. We came back to the table repeatedly. We took feedback seriously and made meaningful changes,” Aprati said. “This community has always been defined by its commitment to nature, conservation, open space and preserving the character that makes Homer Glen unique. Rather than treating those values as an afterthought, this project team made them a priority.”
The building’s height was reduced by 23 feet after Homer Glen officials said the original design “looked like a prison,” said Jennifer Carroll, a project manager for ComEd.
The Village Board added a new condition that states ComEd will work with officials on a beautification proposal at a cost of between $500,000 to $1.5 million that will improve the aesthetics of the utility company’s campus and the areas leading up to it.
The beautification plan, which could affect about 1/2 mile in all directions, would be in addition to the already proposed landscaping and screening, Trustee Curt Mason said.
Aprati said the substation will improve the way the site looks while adding reliable infrastructure.
“Electricity is not a luxury,” she said. “Every resident expects the lights to come on, their air conditioning to work and their families to be safe and connected.”
Lepore said he wasn’t convinced the health and safety impact of the utility’s infrastructure was properly studied, and said the substation was near homes, a senior citizens’ housing community, businesses, schools and a walking path. Other suburban ComEd substations were not located near residential areas, Lepore said.
The substation serves Homer Glen and other southwest suburban communities.
The project is expected to generate about $60,000 more in yearly property tax revenue, which will mostly go to area school districts, and $415,000 in permit fees that will go to the village, Carroll said. Construction is expected to last through 2030, and about 50 on-site construction workers will contribute to the local economy, she said.
Long Run Creek
The Village Board on Wednesday unanimously approved studying the Long Run Creek watershed at a cost of $85,621.
HR Green will study the creek, survey homeowners and generate aerial imagery through drones. The watershed plan will identify water quality impairments, document existing conditions and recommend improvements to reduce flooding and improve wildlife habitats.
The village applied for a grant to help offset the cost. If approved, the village could receive up to $51,372 toward the study, officials said.
Residents living along the creek have experienced flooding, and fallen trees and debris have caused blockages in the creek’s flow.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.