Resident alleges long-running drainage and permitting problems at Briarwood Country Club; board promises follow-up

A Deerfield resident told the Village Board that ongoing drainage work at the Briarwood Country Club has harmed neighbors and appears to have avoided local permitting requirements for decades.

Susan O'Malley, who signed in during the public-comment period, said she reviewed FOIA correspondence going back to 2001 between the club, prior owners and village staff. “It appears that the Briarwood Country Club is exempt from the permit requirements enforced on every other resident and entity in this community,” she told trustees, and she said she has photographs and documentation of truckloads of drain tile being laid.

O’Malley cited the Illinois drainage law and said the village has a responsibility to ensure that stormwater is not directed to neighbors in a way that increases the rate of flow. “You may not take storm water from your property and put it on your neighbor’s property and harm your neighbor,” she said.

The presiding officer said staff would continue follow-up and that the village would work to bring the club and village representatives together to resolve the issue. The board did not take immediate formal action during the meeting; trustees urged staff to report back.

O’Malley also said she had been asked previously by the mayor to sign an agreement with the club over her property; she said the village, not her, holds grant money and that any agreement should be between the village and the club because the land belongs to the club.

Trustees and staff indicated they would pursue a follow-up meeting and examine documentation O’Malley provided.