"When all is said and done, the real citadel of strength of any community is in the hearts and minds and desires of those who dwell there." Everett M. Dirksen
"We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works." Douglas Adams
This is a google aerial view of 63rd and Leonard. On the south side is a Woodridge shopping center; a Target Greatland on the east, fronted by a small “mini strip”; with Dominick’s in the middle, fronted by a recently leveled and empty lot and a restaurant, and capped on the west end next to I-355 by a popular Thornton’s/McDonald’s. On the north side a quiet tree filled neighborhood that has existed unchanged for 40+ years.
There’s a light at Leonard so cars can get in and out of the shopping center, and in and out of the neighborhood. Bradford Realty LLC sees that traffic light as a green light to move businesses north into the residential neighbrhood.
Read the comprehensive cold weather report on Portland Cement Pervious Concrete Performance. If you don’t want to wade through 70+ pages, short form: works great. Around here, it doesn’t eliminate the need for detention/retention, but it would significantly reduce runoff we continue building into our village now-despite knowing how much fixing the problem costs us later.
Green roofs limit storm water run-off. If DG is to make a difference in how much stormwater we have that runs off, we will need to address things like this. From The Changing World of Stormwater Technology, by Dan Rafter, this report of a comparative testing of green roofs to determine the optimum design.
“Pounding it out”, is an old football phrase that means little by little, bit by bit getting somewhere. No big flash or sizzle, just nose to the grindstone three yards and a cloud of dust stuff. It seems Tom Dabareiner, Director of Community Development has harnessed some talented staff and is making some significant improvements due to their process of pounding it out and, as a direct result, our village is benefiting.
Don’t interfere with my free market. Don’t bring those people into my village. We don’t want trash living in homes they can’t keep up. Don’t tell me who I can and can’t sell to. Keep the government out of the real estate market. Yada yada yada. Blah blu blah blah blah. When it comes to housing, there’s no shortage of people lining up to tell other people what they can’t do. You can’t do this; don’t you dare think about doing that.
The city of Portland OR has struggled with stormwater runoff problems for decades and has established expertise on how to best deal with runoff issues. Meeting ASTM standards relating to stormwater has nothing to do with mitigating run off. The idea behind a Low Impact Design (LID) water garden type of storm water storage is to completely prevent the fist 1/4″ of rainfall from leaving the property at all.
On Tuesday council will workshop an ordinance to amend the zoning of two manufacturing parcels at 715-719 Rogers Street from M-1 (Light Manufacturing) to DT (Downtown Transition), an ordinance for a Final Planned Development with a variance to construct 16 townhouses, a Plat of Subdivision resolution that will subdivide the two separate parcels into 17 individual parcels, and a Special Use Ordinance for dwellings.
A variance is required to allow steps greater than four feet in height to extend into the required front yard. A Special Use is required to develop townhouses exceeding one unit per 4,000 square feet of land area. Council, in particular Mayor Sandack and Commissioner Tully, have opined often how Special Uses would be scrutinized with the residents welfare and protection in mind, that we could rest easy because Special Uses require specific council approval.
Well; here we are, and here it is, so what will happen?
Tuesday the village council will workshop hiring a lobbying firm based in Springfield to help convince IDOT, the legislature, and other needed entities that DG should get the $8.5 million out of state so we can start the Belmont underpass.
And to maybe end run DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who made his position clear: he wasn’t about to help with any of “his” millions.
After a half year of asking and being ignored, the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DGACOCAI) Legislative Council met Monday with DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, looking to get a commitment that part of the $20 million in newly minted sales tax revenues ($40 million next year) could help move the Belmont Avenue underpass forward.
Mayor Sandack and Commissioner Waldack reported on funding efforts at the Council meeting, and several others verified what went on at the Monday meeting, mainly: it’s good to be King (Bob)… Read the rest of this entry »
Council voted unanimously tonight to amend the muni code so as to ban further flag lots in Downers Grove. Commissioner Tully said he was looking forward to this day for seven years, and he had much to do with shepherding the ban through to approval. Read the rest of this entry »
Some residents say we do not need any ordinance, that there is no problem with clear cutting property. Even lawyers suddenly do not remember definitions of words like unwarranted when facing the complexity of a simple ordinance.
I would ask this: Do you live next to a clear cut lot that was built out and now, as a direct result, have water problems? I have talked directly to residents who do now have water problems, and they do live next to, or near, property that has been clear cut and built out.It is not a coincidence: it is a direct connection. Read the rest of this entry »
The Village Manager and staff have decided the “Heritage Tree Ordinance” (HTO) is not going to happen right now. Unless someone on council takes exception to it, it will be left on the back burner. That is too bad. We need a responsible, moderate, heritage tree ordinance now, so we can measure and adjust it if needed in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
Trees take in carbon dioxide and water, both things we have too much of here in DG, fix the carbon to the water to make…more tree (cellulose), and exhale the remaining oxygen. Most trees have root structures that are wide and shallow to gather nutrients and water, and maybe some soil based carbon. A fully grown tree can absorb up to 600 gallons of water in a 24 hour period. Once the soil surrounding a root structure has been flooded or saturated, that ability is greatly diminished; that is why many trees die if their surroundings get too wet.
Some trees, like swamp oaks, red maples, river birches, keep soaking up water whether or not the ground is saturated. They adapted to the marshy lowland prairies where we now live. Willows are the midwest champs for soaking up water, but they grow fast and are weak, and tend to fall over in high winds.
Shade trees have expansive canopies for several reasons; to collect gaseous carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas), to collect sunlight as the trees’ power source for the chemical reactions, and to transpire out the oxygen and excess water vapor. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a google aerial view of 63rd and Leonard. On the south side is a Woodridge shopping center; a Target Greatland on the east, fronted by a small “mini strip”; with Dominick’s in the middle, fronted by a recently leveled and empty lot and a restaurant, and capped on the west end next to I-355 by a popular Thornton’s/McDonald’s. On the north side a quiet tree filled neighborhood that has existed unchanged for 40+ years.
Green roofs limit storm water run-off. If DG is to make a difference in how much stormwater we have that runs off, we will need to address things like this. From 
“Pounding it out”, is an old football phrase that means little by little, bit by bit getting somewhere. No big flash or sizzle, just nose to the grindstone three yards and a cloud of dust stuff. It seems Tom Dabareiner, Director of 
Don’t interfere with my free market. Don’t bring those people into my village. We don’t want trash living in homes they can’t keep up. Don’t tell me who I can and can’t sell to. Keep the government out of the real estate market. Yada yada yada. Blah blu blah blah blah. When it comes to housing, there’s no shortage of people lining up to tell other people what they can’t do. You can’t do this; don’t you dare think about doing that.
Tuesday the village council will workshop hiring a lobbying firm based in Springfield to help convince IDOT, the legislature, and other needed entities that DG should get the $8.5 million out of state so we can start the Belmont underpass.
After a half year of asking and being ignored, the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DGACOCAI) Legislative Council met Monday with DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, looking to get a commitment that part of the $20 million in newly minted sales tax revenues ($40 million next year) could help move the Belmont Avenue underpass forward.
