Residents press Riverwoods over Saunders Road tree removals and board adopts new open-burning permit rules

Residents criticized the timing and notification of tree removals along Saunders Road and asked the village to provide federal, state and local guidance to property owners, while the Board of Trustees approved a unit-price contract for hazardous-tree removal and adopted an amended ordinance governing landscape-waste burning.

At the meeting William Myers, speaking for himself and a neighbor, said they first learned of tree cutting on Saunders Road "only late last week without time to appeal to anyone" and asked why some properties were spared while others had trees removed. He requested that the village provide affected property owners with IDOT and other guidance at least one month before removals and asked that replacements be sized to restore privacy and canopy: "5 30 foot trees should be replaced with 5 equivalent 30 foot trees," Myers said.

Director of Community Services Witt acknowledged shortcomings in direct notice to affected residents and apologized publicly: "We certainly acknowledge we could have done a better job in communicating the pending removal directly to affected residents along Saunders Road and for that we publicly apologize." Witt said the village is planning a neighborhood meeting before the Saunders Road project is let for bids in June and that specifications for the project include replanting at least 70 trees.

On hazardous-tree removal, Witt explained the village solicited proposals and received a single bid from Lucas Landscaping & Design, the same contractor used in 2022. He recommended awarding the contract on unit pricing; the program includes emergency removal and an optional village cost-share program for invasive shrub removal when residents choose the village contractor. Trustee Jamieson pointed out four trees listed in the contractor's proposal were misattributed to village ownership and Witt said staff will ensure billing is corrected.

The board also spent extensive time on an amendment to the Village Code regulating landscape-waste burning. The adopted changes require permits for open burning, limit permitted burn areas on property with a map provided to permit holders, set a permit fee ($50 per quarter), allow permits to be rescinded when conditions or rules cannot be satisfied, and permit the mayor to post alerts (fire or air-quality) that prohibit burning on affected days. Director Witt said the permit process will include a map and that Community Services will distribute permit information to the Police and Fire District so field officers can verify compliance.

Trustees and residents debated permit length and enforcement. The ordinance allows a permit to be issued for up to 90 days (a quarter); Witt said the 90-day window is intended to let property owners plan seasonal cleanup, not to allow continuous burning, and that enforcement includes rescission of a permit and fines for repeated noncompliance. Resident Mag Radlowski and others described repeated nuisance smoke and safety concerns; Radlowski said, "Putting the fire department and police ... is almost unfair" because responders are being asked to manage recurrent complaints.

Why it matters: The hazardous-tree contract and burning ordinance affect how the village manages vegetation hazards and neighbors' exposure to smoke and fire risk. The Saunders Road removals and forthcoming Saunders Road project have prompted public calls for improved resident notice, replanting and faster mitigation of driveway/rights-of-way impacts.

What happens next: Witt said the hazardous-tree program will proceed under unit pricing, with a resident choice to use Lucas or a private contractor; staff will notify affected homeowners and adjust billing where property ownership was misrecorded. The village will schedule a neighborhood meeting before the June bid letting for Saunders Road and will publish information about alerts and permit procedures. The burn ordinance will be enforced by Community Services with support from the Police Department and Fire District; the board indicated it will revisit implementation after experience with the new permit process.

Quotations from the meeting

"We certainly acknowledge we could have done a better job in communicating the pending removal directly to affected residents along Saunders Road and for that we publicly apologize," Director Witt said.

"Is Riverwoods more interested in federal money to add a shoulder than to be committed to the local environment?" resident William Myers asked, urging that replacement trees restore privacy and canopy.

Clarifying details

- Hazardous-tree program: request for proposals was sent to nine recommended contractors; only Lucas Landscaping & Design submitted a bid; the contract is unit-price based so total contract value depends on work ordered by property and is not a fixed lump sum.

- Saunders Road: tree-removal work at the Federal Life site is complete and some logs remain to be removed along Saunders Road; village staff said work should finish by the March 31 bat-habitat deadline and that the Saunders Road reconstruction will be let for bids in June with a neighborhood meeting planned beforehand.

- Burning ordinance specifics: permits valid up to 90 days (quarterly), permit fee $50 per quarter, permit includes map and setback checks (50 feet from structures and not in required front/side/rear yards), permits may be rescinded if conditions cannot be met or if burning creates a nuisance; bonfires and prescribed burns require additional review by Fire District.

Proper names in this article: Village of Riverwoods, Lucas Landscaping & Design, Federal Life, SeeClickFix, Saunders Road, Orphans of the Storm, IDOT.

Ending

Residents asking for firmer timelines and replacement tree standards will meet with staff; the board asked staff to return with corrections (misattributed trees in the hazardous-tree list) and to implement the new burning-permit system with Police and Fire District coordination for enforcement.