Orland Park planning commission approves Fernway Park Elementary expansion with conditions

The Orland Park Planning Commission on May 6 approved a special‑use permit, site plan and landscape modification to allow an addition to Fernway Park Elementary School that includes a new gymnasium and three classrooms, the Commission said. The motion to approve the staff‑recommended action passed by unanimous roll call.

The approval covers an addition at the southwest corner of the campus, improvements to on‑site pedestrian access and an underground stormwater management system beneath part of the southeast parking lot, a village planning staff member told the commission. The staff report also recommended a modification to reduce required plantings inside the landscape corridor between the building and O’Brien Drive, a change staff supported because the petitioner still exceeds tree requirements elsewhere on the site.

The expansion matters because it alters site drainage, pedestrian routes and how drop off and bus traffic operate near nearby cul‑de‑sacs and homes. Several residents told the commission they remain concerned about localized flooding that predates this project and about late mailed notices of the hearing.

The plans presented to the Commission show a 30‑foot‑tall gymnasium and three new classrooms. Donald Manhart of Manhart Consulting, the petitioner’s representative, summarized the proposal: “we're here to present, a expansion to Fernway Park Elementary School.” Andrew Annelas, the project civil designer, told the commission that work in the southeast corner will not change existing off‑site flows: “we're not gonna touch anything. So it'll stay exactly like it has always has been.” A village planning staff member said staff recommends approval of the site plan, landscape plan, building elevations and special‑use permit subject to standard conditions and a condition requiring an intergovernmental agreement to allow the existing ground sign to remain unless it is removed or damaged.

Residents asked for clarifications on drainage, playground relocation and traffic. Jeanette Casalino, a nearby resident, said she lives at the cul‑de‑sac near the northwest corner and asked whether buses or other traffic would change; Margaret Gorey of Shria Architecture (representing the district on site circulation) explained that school buses will continue to enter and exit via 80 Eighth Avenue and that front parking, bus circulation and the split drop‑off pattern (letters A–G in front, H–Z on the O’Brien side) will remain unchanged. Brandy Caffarelli, a neighbor, asked whether the existing playground would be moved and whether the proposed stormwater structure would affect the park area; staff and the petitioner said the playground at the top‑right area of the plan remains unchanged and the new underground stormwater management is in the southeast corner under the parking area.

Several residents reiterated a longer‑running concern about a dry basin and an undersized outlet pipe at the northwest corner of the school property that can hold water for extended periods. Commissioners and an on‑site engineer described the basin as a dry basin that drains slowly toward Lake Lorton and said an outlet control structure on the school property has a restrictor the neighboring municipality (Orland Hills) previously constructed with a pipe that the commission’s engineer characterized as undersized. Commissioners and the petitioner said the current proposal will add underground detention under the parking area and will not enlarge the area of the site that residents have previously said floods.

Multiple speakers also raised notification practices after several neighbors said they received mailed meeting notices late. A planning commissioner suggested returning to certified mail; a village planning staff member said the village has moved from certified mail to a certificate‑of‑mailing process and that the petitioner had provided the affidavit for the mailings.

Commission discussion also focused on pedestrian access and ADA compliance. The plans include new sidewalk segments along 80 Eighth Avenue and crosswalk improvements at the intersection with O’Brien Drive, but the staff report notes a sidewalk connection at the northwest corner of O’Brien Drive and 80 Eighth Avenue could not be provided because of existing topography and slope/ADA constraints. The petitioner and staff said fully connecting that corner would require rebuilding the roadway and retaining structures.

Commissioner Schuessler moved to approve the staff‑recommended action for case 2024‑0807, Commissioner Sanchez seconded, and the Commission took a roll call vote. Commissioners Sanchez, Zatar, Paul, Zamperelli, Nugent, Schuessler and Chairman Parisi each voted “aye.” The motion passed and the public hearing was closed.

Conditions attached to the approval include the standard conditions listed in the staff report, the landscaping modification approval for the south corridor, and a condition that the school district work with the village on an intergovernmental agreement to allow the existing ground sign to remain in place unless it is removed or broken. The petition also requires a plat of dedication for the right of way along 80 Eighth Avenue to align the parcel with adjacent lots.

The Commission did not adopt changes to off‑site drainage improvements beyond the proposed underground stormwater facility under the parking lot. Several residents and commissioners noted the site has been the subject of prior, larger proposals — including an earlier plan to demolish and rebuild the school that was later canceled — and said remaining neighborhood drainage concerns are tied partly to older infrastructure off the school site and to Orland Hills’ earlier pipe sizing decisions.

The project will proceed under the conditions set by the Commission; staff will finalize the intergovernmental agreement language and the petitioner will complete required plat and permit filings. Residents were advised to follow up with village engineering and the petitioner for technical drainage details and with their municipality on off‑site pipe capacity.