Bill Strawn, a Mundelein resident who lives adjacent to Village Green Golf Course, told the Village of Mundelein Board of Trustees on Aug. 11 that residents should be given a full, transparent public review before any redevelopment moves forward. “I urge the village to fully engage in a transparent and rigorous public process before any decisions are made,” Strawn said.
Strawn said the parcel is zoned open space and that converting it to school athletic fields and parking would require rezoning or a special-use permit, a process he said falls under the board’s authority. He told trustees the site supports wildlife, including bald eagles, hawks, sandhill cranes and deer, and said redevelopment would change neighborhood character and increase lighting, noise, traffic and stormwater runoff.
The request came during the meeting’s public comment period; no action on the property was taken by the board at the meeting. The board did not present or vote on any rezoning, permit or agreement related to the Village Green site during the Aug. 11 session.
Strawn said he and nearby homeowners learned only recently about a proposed plan prepared on Aug. 4 and expressed concern that referendum language in November 2024 did not make the scale of the proposed change clear to adjacent property owners. He described a backyard view that he said would be altered by stadium-style lighting and bleachers and noted he purchased and substantially renovated his home in February 2016 in part for the current open-space outlook.
Mayor and staff did not announce any scheduled zoning hearings or formal applications for the site during the meeting. Trustees did not direct staff to take immediate action on the redevelopment item during the board session; the transcript shows the remarks were recorded as public comment only.
Neighbors asked the village to require formal public hearings, environmental review and “meaningful community input” before approving any change to the site’s open-space designation. Strawn also asked the village to disclose long-term financial, environmental and community impacts before any zoning change is adopted.
No vote, motion or staff direction regarding rezoning or a special-use permit for the Village Green property was recorded in the meeting minutes or the board’s roll-call votes on Aug. 11.