ALERTS

ISSUES

The Antioch Homeowners for Rational Zoning, Inc., a citizen’s group, is working to stop a development on the 12-acre Pedersen Estate at the corner of Bowles Road and Route 59.

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Our state legislators, after watching the Lake County road tax referendum go down in flames, have finally gotten the message that we expect them to bring our fair share of state transportation dollars back to our congested region. They’ve vowed to band across party lines to support consensus improvement projects. Unfortunately, the Transportation Forum held on September 15 by the Lake County Partners, intended to pick projects by consensus, was fraught with several critical flaws. And it remains to be seen whether perennial Rt. 53 hawks in attendance will keep their promise to focus on less environmentally damaging options.

First, the event’s name was misleading. It should have been called a Road Summit. On the eve of the event we were informed that any discussion and support for intelligent traffic controls, trains, buses, vans, taxis, carpools, bicycles and walking would not be considered. We were reassured by some that plans for mass transit are being aggressively pursued elsewhere, but we are concerned that those modes critical to building strong communities will not receive the same unswerving support.

In the opening remarks the topic was further narrowed. We were told that the easier, quicker, more beneficial and less environmentally damaging road options that we favor, like intersection improvements and signal synchronization, would not be considered either. The choices only included major projects to add lanes along entire road segments.

After a few speeches, we were rushed through pages of simplistic maps and misleading, one sentence descriptions of 28 road projects. We were told to evaluate projects for their potential impacts on congestion, economics and politics. When we asked why environmental impacts were not being considered, we were told that we should just trust the road planners.

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Of course, road planners are typically exempt from environmental laws, which is why we’ve opposed the Rt. 53 extension for so long.

The maps we were given for reference lacked almost any of our region’s character. Devoid of wetlands, streams, watersheds, high quality open space, or even forest preserves, they revealed only lakes and roads. Urban, population and employment centers were also withheld along with trip demand vectors customary for such an exercise.

The most worrisome vote of the entire event was whether to support a Rt. 120 bypass around Grayslake. The maps showed it in the defeated Rt. 53 (FAP342) alignment that would doom Almond Marsh, but we were told that alignment was provisional, and we were promised that it would be revamped and relocated as an accessible local arterial rather than a superhighway. While the other votes were between many choices in the same category, this vote was given its own category. The audience, comprised mostly of business people and politicians seeking a cure for sprawl, punched the yes button on their gizmos and it passed. Luckily, this project is at the beginning of a six year timeline, but vigilance will be required to minimize its environmental impacts.

Another summit is promised for next year. We hope that it is better planned, more inclusive, and does much more to recognize the environmental vulnerability of our extremely rich natural environment.

In the meantime, we are gratified that business leaders have responded to our call for consensus, and seek our trust. We hope they are as eager as we are to turn our energies from the Rt. 53 boondoggle, to projects that will protect and restore more open space as amenities for our communities and wildlife.