Will County Board postpones vote on proposed quarry rezoning after hours of public comment

The Will County Board postponed a final vote on rezoning case ZC24-066, a proposal to rezone about 173 acres near Essington Road and 127th Street for mining and intensive industrial uses, until the board’s March meeting after a motion to delay carried on Jan. 16.

The postponement came after more than two hours of public testimony in opposition from elected officials, parents, teachers and homeowners. Chair Pretzel moved to postpone the item to March “to give the applicant time to meet with the villages of Bolingbrook and Plainfield, the Plainfield School District and neighborhood groups,” and the motion was seconded by County Board Member Butler. The motion carried; the county clerk reported “14 in the affirmative.”

Why it mattered: The proposal would change agricultural zoning to I3 industrial and allow quarrying with blasting, concrete and asphalt mixing, and disposal of clean construction and demolition debris near established subdivisions and several schools. Speakers said the rezoning would place blasting, heavy truck traffic and industrial operations closer to neighborhood property lines and to Liberty Elementary and other Plainfield schools.

Village and school leaders called for denial. Matt Eastman, director of community development for the Village of Bolingbrook, told the board the village “strongly oppose[d]” the proposal and said the site is adjacent to neighborhoods that represent “well over a 1,000 homes.” He warned of “persistent disruption from noise, dust, debris, and blasting” and said Will County staff recommended denial and the county planning commission unanimously upheld that recommendation.

Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 Superintendent Lehi Wood said the district had submitted a letter of opposition and raised safety and structural concerns, including recent foundation work at Liberty Elementary. “We slab jacked the entire school” over two summers, Wood said, and added that nearby blasting and vibration could threaten recent repairs.

Residents, parents and HOA leaders expanded on public-safety and health claims. “This rezoning benefits one entity, the applicant, at the expense of 1,000 residents, students, and taxpayers,” Eastman said. Alex Deo, a Plainfield father whose daughter attends Liberty Elementary, said the proposal ‘‘includes underground mining, blasting, concrete and asphalt mixing, and handling debris” and cited studies about air pollution and children’s health. Second-grader Alaria, who attends Liberty Elementary, told board members simply: “Please help keep Liberty Elementary safe.”

Applicant and counsel sought time to negotiate. Gary Davidson, lead counsel for the applicant, asked the board to continue the case for 60 days and said his client owns the property and sought I3 zoning to allow disposal of clean construction and demolition debris and related operations. Davidson told the board he wanted time to meet with stakeholders and “either come up with a compromise or not,” but acknowledged he did not know whether he could secure the necessary votes.

Local elected officials urged a vote now. John Arguelles, mayor of Plainfield, said he had not been contacted by the applicant before the hearings and urged the board not to delay. Mary Alexander Bostock, mayor of Bolingbrook, said village leaders and residents had spoken clearly against the project and urged the board to “put people ahead of profits.” Many HOA presidents and neighborhood speakers said they oppose any extension because they believed additional delay would serve the applicant’s interest rather than the community’s.

Public-comment volume and evidence: Speakers cited tens to hundreds of documents and petitions. Eastman said more than 150 emails of objection were submitted to the Will County plan commission, 239 objections were recorded at the land use meeting, and an online petition had about 1,500 signatures; counsel for the applicant said there was one email of support tied to union interests. Residents and experts cited research on respiratory and property-value impacts near quarries.

What the board directed: In announcing the postponement, Chair Pretzel described the delay as an opportunity for the applicant to meet directly with the village governments, Plainfield schools and neighborhood representatives. He told the applicant, “If I find out that you didn't, you will not have my support at the March meeting.”

Next steps: The zoning case will return at the Will County Board’s March meeting. Board members and staff urged the applicant to use the intervening time to provide detailed plans for ingress/egress, truck routing, blasting controls, environmental protections for Lily Cache Creek and documented agreements with affected villages and the school district. Will County staff’s denial recommendation and the planning commission’s unanimous denial remain part of the record.