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Orland Park approves eminent‑domain ordinances for two 159th Street properties tied to intersection improvements

Orland Park Village Board of Trustees · December 2, 2025

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Summary

The board authorized eminent‑domain actions for 9401 and 9441 159th Street (former BP and former KFC) citing blight, liens, and the need for intersection improvements; trustees debated the ethics of condemnation versus public safety and the potential impact on existing leases and business openings.

The Village Board voted to authorize eminent‑domain proceedings for two adjacent properties on 159th Street: 9401 (the former BP gas station) and 9441 (the former KFC). Staff described 9401 as vacant since March 2020, with liens and deed restrictions limiting reuse; engineering analysis shows the intersection at 159th and 94th requires improvements (additional turn lanes) involving land takings across jurisdictions (state, county, village). For 9441 (former KFC), staff noted a long master lease and a sublease through 2040; condemnation would trigger negotiation and judicial appraisal to establish just compensation.

Trustees expressed a range of views. Some said eminent domain is distasteful and emphasized property rights; others said prolonged neglect, liens and the intersection’s documented accident history justify pursuing condemnation to remove blight and enable public safety improvements. Trustees and staff clarified that condemnation is a formal judicial process involving multiple appraisals, and that negotiation with property owners remains possible. Board votes carried both ordinances with recorded ayes and nos.

Quotable: Village staff on the BP site: “The property has been an eyesore ... We have liens placed on that property. We’ve taken them to court multiple times.” Trustee Gutierrez: “I feel that eminent domain is at the end of government coming in and taking property that isn’t theirs ... I have a problem with that.”