U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Chicago District Regulatory Branch
Attn. 2000001139, Mr. Michael Murphy
111 North Canal Street 6th floor
Chicago, Illinois 60606-7200

Dear Mr. Murphy,

I’m writing to note my opposition to the proposed wetland mitigation on the Indian Creek watershed at Route 22 and Milwaukee in Lincolnshire, This particular wetland area contiguous to natural areas, and is critical to water retention for neighboring properties on Indian Creek. I am not convinced that any amount of detention can be properly engineered to effectively mitigate the function this wetland is serving for water detention nor any amount of commercial activity can offset the future cost of losing this type of natural community. Because of it's location, this property is the ideal site to show Lake County the right way to develop near natural areas and if given proper consideration can enhance the proposed development.

I don't normally oppose development, and I feel that Lincolnshire has developed a reasonably good plan for their downtown redevelopment. This intersection is a difficult one to navigate during rush hour and the high traffic a grocery store would bring would increase the burden unreasonably. Aren't there better alternate sites such as on some of the undeveloped lands behind the new theatre complex on Aptikisic and Milwaukee?

Removal of wooded wetlands or allowing inadequate buffers to protect these areas is a grievous mistake. No landowner should be devoid of responsibilities of proper stewardship of his land with ownership, and no government should allow it. It should not be an owner's right to mitigate wetland but an option available to the community for those instances where the wetland is in effect dead, because there is so much development around it. This is not the case here, because the hydrology is intact, there's contiguous preserved open land, and the ecosystem can be restored if someone gets in there and cleans it up a little. I would consider any type of construction in this wetland area a mistake, even if it were under the guise of improving local detention. If this property is to be developed, I would like to see this area cleaned up, adequate buffers to protect this area, and adequate detention elsewhere on the property.
 

Sincerely,

Mary Handelsman
Lake County resident

C: IEPA
IDNR
LCSMC
Mr. Anthony DeSantis
City of Lincolnshire