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Will County panel tables controversial Badger Daylighting rezoning after residents demand water and traffic protections
Summary
After hours of testimony from residents and the applicant, the Will County Land Use Committee postponed Badger Daylighting's request to rezone a 38-acre parcel in Homer Township so staff, the applicant and local agencies can negotiate water sourcing, forest-preserve conveyance and traffic mitigations.
The Will County Land Use Committee on Thursday postponed a contested rezoning request by Badger Daylighting after residents raised concerns about groundwater impacts, heavy-truck traffic and long-term land-use precedent.
The company asked the committee to rezone roughly 38 acres on West 159th Street from R2/C2 to C4 so it could build a 25,000-square-foot operations facility and store a fleet of hydro-excavation trucks. Badger representatives said the operation would create local jobs and that trucks would be stored indoors; they also offered buffers and said they were open to annexation or donating the rear of the parcel to the forest preserve.
The request drew sustained opposition from nearby homeowners and local officials. Homer Township Supervisor Sue Stylin told the committee the parcel had been discussed at pre-application meetings but that residents and the village considered the corridor inappropriate for an industrial-style truck operation. "That corridor between Galer Road and Cedar Road... is residential and not planned for intensive truck operations," she said.
A number of speakers focused on groundwater. Resident Raymond Halper urged the committee to require an independent hydrogeologic study and long-term monitoring if Badger is allowed to use a private well. "They're pulling the water for pumping. I'm pulling the water from my children to drink it," Halper said, arguing that large daily water draws from a shallow aquifer could lower nearby wells and mobilize contaminants.
Badger officials said the firm would not accept contaminated soils on site and would use off-site disposal or re-use clean soils in backfill. Chief operating officer Logan Malot and operations staff said trucks typically leave sites filled and return mostly empty, that trucks would be backed in and stored inside, and that when municipal water sources are preferred they would obtain metered access for filling. Counsel for the applicant said the company would consider drilling to a deeper aquifer or connecting to a municipal water supply if necessary.
Committee members expressed divided views. Some said advancing the case to the full county board would permit more detailed conditions and negotiations; others said the village's formal objection and the breadth of resident concerns warranted delaying any action. The committee voted to table the map amendment to the July Land Use meeting to allow continued work between the applicant, staff, the forest preserve and municipal authorities.
The developer's attorney had earlier told the committee that the front portion of the parcel could be used for the facility while the back portion could be conveyed to the forest preserve, an option several members said could help resolve community concerns if it were formalized before the county board vote. The committee also asked staff to return with firm answers about water-supply options and any legally binding commitments that could protect nearby well users.
The postponement means the Badger case will return for reconsideration in July, after which a recommendation would go to the full Will County Board. For now, residents said they wanted enforceable measures — independent groundwater study, monitoring wells, restrictions on on-site storage and a mitigation bond — before any final approval.
The committee's action was procedural; the hearing remains open and no zoning grant or denial has been made.
