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Robert A. Kraft, former LG fire chief, dead at 83

Village flag flies at half mast to honor Robert Kraft, former La Grange fire chief, who died Monday, Dec. 14.

Former La Grange Fire Chief Robert A. Kraft died Monday, Dec. 14. He was 83 years old.

The flag on the lawn of Village Hall this week is being flown at half mast in Kraft's honor.

Kraft served the village for nearly 28 years, beginning as a firefighter in Dec. 1952. He was subsequently promoted to the ranks of fire captain and fire marshal. He was appointed the village's fire chief in Dec. 1963, a position he held for 14 years until his retirement in March 1978.

Chief Kraft returned to serve in a part-time capacity as a building inspector between 1981-1983.

A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, Kraft is survived by Audrey, his wife of 58 years; three children; and five grandchildren, according to the Adolf Funeral Home of Willowbrook, where services were held this morning. Inurnment will be at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.

Memorials to St. Thomas Hospice, 8230 S. Madison St., Burr Ridge, IL 60527 or the American Cancer Society are encouraged by his family.

Reevaluation of Shawmut Ave extension needed for downsized ARP project proposal, Asperger says

La Grange village officials would have to see a revised site plan before they could determine whether an extension of Shawmut Ave is still needed for the significantly downsized redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA parcel proposed last month by Atlantic Realty Partners, Village President Liz Asperger said at Monday night's regular meeting of the village board.

"I think you are quite accurate in stating that it is not appropriate for the village to have a position unless a project is put forward," Asperger said in response to resident Harlan Hirt, who addressed the matter during the portion of Monday's meeting set aside for public comment.

Hirt is one of 20 residents who this past summer formed an association called the La Grange Friends of the Park to oppose the most recent petition effort by the Park District of La Grange to sell two parcels from Gordon Park to ARP for inclusion in its redevelopment of the Y property, a project known as La Grange Place.

In his comments Monday night to the village board, Hirt referred to a story published Monday by La Grange Today, which reported that Cook County Circuit Court Judge Susan Fox Gillis, who is considering the petition, wanted to know the village's position on whether the Shawmut extension was still needed.

Judge Gillis said Friday that knowing the village's intentions for Shawmut Ave would aid her in mediating settlement negotiations between the Park District and the Park Friends. Friday's talks, which lasted more than two hours, deadlocked over the fate of the extension.

The Park Friends are demanding that the Shawmut Ave extension be eliminated. They say that it would destroy three-quarters of an acre of parkland on its own and would provide the Park District with an incentive to attempt to sell at some future date a 2.04-acre parcel north of the vacated roadway.

In settlement negotiations, the Park District has agreed back away from its original plans to sell the north parcel to ARP. In exchange, the Park Friends have withdrawn their objection to the sale of a 0.78-acre parcel south of the vacated roadway, which would allow ARP to square off the northeastern corner of the Y parcel.

However, Park District attorneys Friday told Judge Gillis that extending Shawmut Ave eastward to connect with north-south Locust Ave, which enters Gordon Park from Ogden Ave, is still necessary to provide improved access to the new facilities it hopes to build. Especially important, they said, is access for emergency vehicles.

In any case, the same attorneys contend, the fate of the extension is no longer in the hands of the Park District. Ownership of vacated Shawmut Ave was transferred to the village earlier this year in exchange for a village-owned parking lot along Locust Ave, adjacent to the park.

The swap agreement has a reverter clause that returns ownership of Shawmut Ave to the Park District if the developer has not commenced construction by Dec. 31, an scenario almost certain to transpire. The agreement can be extended but that has not yet occurred.

Park District attorneys also told the judge that village officials had communicated to them strong support for constructing the extension. Asperger's statement that village officials could not make a decision on the extension without seeing a revised site plan from ARP appears to contradict that contention.

ARP President Richard Aaronson has said that the smaller version of La Grange Place likely would not require extending Shawmut Ave, as the 23 townhomes ARP planned to build on the north parcel have been eliminated from its plans. Aaronson said the remaining project, consisting of 236 mid-rise apartments and no more than 18,000 square feet of commercial space likely be serviced by an existing portion of Shawmut Ave, a short stretch that connects the YMCA parking lot to La Grange Rd

Under the terms of ARP's original plan and agreement with the village, the developer agreed to pay for the costs of building the road extension. Aaronson said he has asked the village to reconsider the package of public improvements ARP agreed to fun, including those related to the intersection of La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave.

Before ARP can submit any revised site plan to the village for consideration, it must reach an agreement with the YMCA on new terms for the purchase of the former Rich Port property. A YMCA spokesman announced Dec. 1 that it had rejected a revised offer from ARP on the grounds that it did not provide seed money "substantial" enough to allow the Y to acquire property elsewhere in the area for a new facility.

Watch a video of the comments made Monday night by Asperger and Hirt.

Judge wants to know village's stance on extending Shawmut Ave for downsized Y site development

Is the Village of La Grange really insisting that a roadway be built on a long ago vacated portion of Shawmut Ave that runs through Gordon Park, even though much of the development it was intended to serve likely will not be built?

Judge Susan Fox Gillis wants to know.

The Cook County Circuit Court judge, after mediating two hours of settlement talks Friday afternoon between attorneys for the Park District of La Grange and the La Grange Friends of the Park, concluded that the village's position on the proposed roadway likely would make or break ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to a two-year legal battle over the Park District's attempts to sell 2.82 acres of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP).

"It would be helpful to know if [the village thinks the roadway extension] is a mandatory element to the project." Judge Gillis said.

Attorneys for the Park District said the road extension would provide direct access from La Grange Rd to the facility improvements the district hopes to make in Gordon Park, and would give fire and  emergency vehicles an alternative to the park's existing entrance on Ogden Ave.

But they told the judge control of the vacated roadway, roughly three-quarters of an acre, was transferred to the village earlier this year when the Park District swapped it for a village-owned parking lot of similar size, located on Locust Ave, adjacent to the park.

Village officials have communicated that they want the roadway built, Rob Bush, the Park District's general counsel said.

Village Manager Bob Pilipiszyn, when informed Friday evening of the judge's interest in the village's position, said one existed but that it would be inappropriate to conduct that dialog through the media. Pilipiszyn said he would contact Park District officials today to determine the best way to respond to Judge Gillis' request.

Park Commissioner Mary Ellen Penicook, who was in attendance at Friday's negotiations, told the judge she would consult with other park officials and ensure that the judge's request was formally conveyed to the village.

Tom Beyer, an attorney for the Park Friends, said later that park officials were likely to have more success in communicating with village officials. An invitation that he extended to Village President Liz Asperger, encouraging her to participate in the settlement talks, was rebuffed, Beyer said.

Beyer told Judge Gillis the Park Friends are adamantly opposed to extending Shawmut Ave because it would be built over what is currently open green space. Unless the village abandons or severely modifies its plans for the extension, "our clients view it as a dealbreaker," he said.

Beyer noted that ARP President Richard Aaronson, who met privately with Judge Gillis last month, said publicly that the roadway extension is no longer needed to service the downsized La Grange Place development his company hopes to build on the former Rich Port YMCA and an adjacent three-quarter acre of parkland.

Under the development plan approved last year by village trustees, ARP would pay the cost of extending Shawmut Ave. But Aaronson also said that he has asked the village to consider renegotiating the package of public improvements ARP agreed to fund before its project was downsized. Among them are improvements to facilitate traffic flow and pedestrian safety at the intersection of La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave.

Aaronson was successful in renegotiating his contract with the Park District, resulting in a $3 million reduction in the purchase price, according to park officials.

But his attempts to rework ARP's contract with the YMCA hit a wall two weeks ago when the Y announced that it was pulling out of the contract and considering alternative proposals for the parcel, saying a reduction in the purchase price proposed by ARP would not provide enough seed money for the Y to purchase land for a new facility elsewhere in the area.

That event prompted Beyer Friday to question whether it was worthwhile to continue with settlement negotiations.

"We have been told that negotiations between them are not dead," Bush replied.

The new contract excludes a second parcel of parkland, consisting of 2.04 acres directly north of the vacated roadway. ARP had plans to build 23 townhomes on the parcel, while reserving roughly half the parcel as open space, a concession the developer made last year in a settlement with objector William Dobias, a resident of the La Grange Tower condominiums, which adjoin the west side of the parcel. Dobias in return dropped his lawsuit against the sale.

Beyer said a guarantee that the entire 2.04 acres be retained as parkland is required before the Park Friends will withdraw their opposition to the sale of the smaller parcel, which is partially occupied by the Park District's former central maintenance garages.

He says the group fears that if Shawmut Ave is extended, it will eventually lead the Park District to attempt a future sale of the parcel to another developer who will not be bound by ARP's agreement to reserve half of it as open space.

"A road to future development" is how one member of the Park Friends, Kevin Shields, characterizes Shawmut Ave.

Park District attorneys said Friday there are no plans to sell the parcel in the near future but said it would be inappropriate to bind future park boards from attempting a sale at some point if a situation merited such action.

A "final" settlement proposal issued a week ago by the Park District guarantees only that no effort will be made to sell the northern parcel while ARP's development is under construction.

Judge Gillis sought to assure the Park Friends that any attempt by the Park District to sell the second parcel would not be received well by the court, labeling any contemplation of such an effort as "disingenuous."

Regarding the extension of Shawmut Ave, however, Judge Gillis was sympathetic to the concerns expressed by attorneys for the Park District regarding improved access to Gordon Park for fire and emergency vehicles.

"I thought [the Park Friends] didn’t have a real good handle on what could be done with that traffic," the judge said. "I thought they were closed minded to alternatives."

But then she revealed that the group's attorneys had suggested a possible compromise that intrigued her: a "green road," which consists of a reinforced roadbed covered by about eight inches of soil and grass.

Beyer explained that such a roadway would accommodate heavy emergency vehicles such as firetrucks and EMS vans but also preserve the open green space.

"At worst, they would tear up some sod, but that can be easily replaced," he said.

Park District officials Friday offered no formal response to the idea, but did raise concerns about moving pedestrians out of the way of emergency vehicles and plowing snow from the green road during winter.

A status hearing on negotiations was scheduled by Judge Gillis for Dec. 29 at 2:30 p.m. A hearing set for this Thursday was canceled.

Park district reopens settlement talks on Gordon Park with new offer, but would they revive YMCA deal?

UPDATED 12/07/09, 5:50 p.m.: Whatever resolution the Park District of La Grange and the La Grange Friends of the Park might reach regarding litigation over the sale of land from Gordon Park will not affect the YMCA's decision last week to cancel its deal with Atlantic Realty Partners unless it somehow enables the developer to significantly improve its offer for the purchase of the former Rich Port property, Chris Ganschow, a YMCA spokesman said.

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The Park District of La Grange today sought to hand-deliver a "final" settlement offer to the homes of 20 members of the La Grange Friends of the Park (LGFP) in an apparent attempt to resolve the group's remaining objections to the sale of a portion of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP).

The proposal also was addressed to Orlando Coryell who, while not a member of LGFP, has joined with them in the settlement talks. Coryell earlier this year successfully blocked the park district's efforts to sell 2.82 acres of parkland to ARP through a public referendum and auction.

One LGFP member, Kevin Shields, said he received a copy of the proposal that was delivered to his home. He said that some other members with whom he spoke also had received copies, but some others had not.

Park district attorneys also apparently persuaded Cook County Circuit Court Judge Susan Fox Gillis to schedule a settlement conference on the matter for Dec. 11.

The content of the offer, which was printed on park district stationery and signed by Park Board President Tim Kelpsas, is identical to that contained in a letter, also sent today, to LGFP's attorneys by the park district's general counsel, Rob Bush.

Click here to view the contents of Bush's letter, and click here to view a full-color version the map attached to Bush's letter.

Whether a successful resolution between the park district and LGFP will allow ARP to proceed with its planned redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA property, a project known as La Grange Place, remains in doubt given an announcement made last week by the Metropolitan YMCA of Chicago in which it said it was pulling out of a deal to sell the 4.3-acre site to ARP.

YMCA spokesman Christopher Ganschow at that time said the a reduction in the purchase price proposed by ARP would not be sufficient for the organization to proceed with plans to purchase land for a new facility. Consequently, the YMCA is now exploring other options for the property, he said.

Ganschow also said the litigation over sale of the parkland was not a significant factor in its decision to cancel its deal with ARP.

Attempts this afternoon to reach representatives of the park district and ARP for comment have so far been unsuccessful.

Tom Beyer, an attorney for LGFP, said the group would review the park district's latest proposal and participate in any settlement talks scheduled by the court.

Beyer criticized park officials for delivering the proposal directly to LGFP members. However, while court protocol prohibits attorneys from communicating directly with opposing parties, their clients are not similarly prohibited unless a judge sets restrictions.

In its latest proposal, the park district agrees to sell to ARP only the smaller of two parcels of parkland it originally sought to sell to the developer, (identified on the map as Parcel 2).

It also promises not to make any effort to sell the larger parcel, (identified on the map as Parcel 3), "during ARP's construction of its development" and to include the parcel in its plans to improve Gordon Park.

The park district also proposes to create an "acquisition and development fund" seeded with $50,000 from the proceeds of the sale of Parcel 2 to be used to purchase replacement parkland at some future date.

Beyer would not comment on the specifics of proposal other than to point out that it contains no reference to a vacated portion of Shawmut Ave that the park district gave to the Village of La Grange in exchange for a parking lot of similar size that is situated along the east side of Locust Ave, adjacent to the park. Plans call for the roadway to be restored, resulting in a loss of three-quarters of an acre of parkland.

LGFP, in its own settlement proposals, said it wants the land swap reversed. Failure to do so would result in a "dealbreaker," Beyer said.

Park district officials last month said they would compensate for the parkland lost to the roadway by converting the parking lot acquired from the village into green space.

Those plans are indicated on the redevelopment map provided by park officials, along with its plans for incorporating Parcel 3 into the overall scheme of the park.

However, the map also shows that a significant amount of green space surrounding the handball courts and water tower at the park's south end would be lost with the construction of new parking lots.

Judge gives settlement talks "last chance" before formal hearing on Gordon Park sale petition

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Susan Fox Gillis Thursday told attorneys and representatives of the Park District of La Grange and the La Grange Friends of the Park (LGFP) that they had arrived at their "last chance" to reach a settlement agreement and end two years of litigation over the park district’s efforts to sell 2.82 acres of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP).

If the talks are not successful, Gillis said she will proceed with a formal hearing over which she will determine the outcome. The next status hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17.

"If you don’t settle here, I have the control," Gillis said. "I make the decisions. I say what happens. This is your last chance."

The judge delivered her ultimatum at the conclusion of two hours of closed-session talks in which she met separately with both sides, as well as with ARP President Richard Aaronson and his attorney.

ARP is not a party to the litigation but set the stage for serious discussion of a settlement earlier this month when Aaronson announced his company was no longer interested in purchasing the larger of two park parcels it originally sought to acquire. In response to the deteriorating economy, ARP decided to reduce the scale and scope of its redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA site, a project known as La Grange Place.

Aaronson's courtroom visit was his first since litigation over the proposed parkland sale began two years ago.

"This matter seems to be arriving at a crescendo so I thought it would be appropriate to participate," Aaronson said.

Thursday's talks were unexpected and followed a scheduled hearing on a motion for discovery filed by LGFP attorneys more than four weeks ago.

John Shapiro, an attorney for the park district, argued that LGFP was not entitled to demand that the park district produce documents and depositions that the objectors say are necessary to make their case that the park board’s reasons for declaring the 2.82 acres are “no longer needed or useful” as parkland.

Shapiro based his argument on an interpretation of the Illinois Park District Code that would have the court conduct only an "administrative review" of the park district's "legislative authority" to dispose of land it no longer deemed useful.

But Gillis rejected the argument, saying the statute clearly puts authority for the sale of parkland in the court's hands and requires the judge to determine whether or not the sale is in the public interest. She then ordered the park district to respond to LGFP's outstanding discovery requests within 28 days.

Gillis also rebuffed Shapiro's contention that the hearing should be expedited, so as not to jeopardize the proposed sale.

"The statute does not anticipate that the park district is in the position of having a buyer," Gillis said. "I know you have a buyer. I don’t want to delay that, but I want to make sure that everyone's rights are protected."

Avoiding a lengthy and costly hearing should serve as an incentive for both sides to reach a settlement now, Gillis said.

Following the closed-session talks, Gillis sat informally on one of the courtroom tables reserved for attorneys as everyone gathered around her. She held in one hand a map drawing provided to her by the park district that showed Gordon Park and the adjacent Y property.  

Pointing to vacated Shawmut Ave, which would be restored under the development plan approved last year by the La Grange village board of trustees, Gillis asked if LGFP's members could accept the  road if it was determined that route was necessary to provide timely access for police, fire and paramedics responding to an emergency at the park during a sporting event. The judge said the concern was on her mind as a friend's husband had been stricken with a heart attack recently at a park in another community. The husband survived in part because of a fast response by paramedics.

Tom Beyer, an attorney for LGFP, said that many in the group were adamantly opposed to restoring the roadway, calling it a "deal breaker." He also noted that Aaronson, who by this time had left the courtroom to catch a flight back to his home in Atlanta, had said the roadway was no longer needed for his downsized project.

There appeared to be agreement on both sides that the village strongly wanted to see Shawmut Ave restored, but no one seemed certain who in the village administration was calling the shots regarding the roadway.

Like ARP, the village is not a party to the litigation but is a pivotal player in any settlement scenario. No representative of the village has attended any of the petition hearings.

Gillis noted that the park district had offered to convert into green space the parking lot it had acquired from the village in exchange for vacated Shawmut Ave. Would that not compensate for the green space lost if the road were restored? Gillis asked Beyer.

Beyer said the group's main concern regarding a restored Shawmut Ave is that it might leave the door open for the park district to attempt to sell the larger park parcel to another developer at a later date. That is why the group sought assurances from the park district that the parkland be protected in perpetuity.

Gillis said the she would not attempt to restrict future park districts from taking action, if necessary and appropriate, to sell parkland.

Mary Ellen Penicook, a park district commissioner, asked if preparing a land-use design for the parcel would address some of the group's concerns.

Shapiro said the parcel withdrawn from the sale would be joined to the rest of Gordon Park by a lighted walkway" to be built around the park perimeter as part of the planned improvements.

When pressed, Beyer said that he and several members of LGFP at this point simply did not trust the park district and the village to make good on any promises without a legally binding document.

Gillis encouraged all involved to make every effort to reach an agreement before the December hearing.

"Everybody needs to think about what they need to give up in order to reach a settlement," the judge said.

Rob Bush, general counsel to the park district, was the one who suggested the impromptu talks as the scheduled hearing on the discovery motion was ending. He said later the talks were meaningful if not conclusive.

“They're like chicken soup,” Bush said. “I figured they couldn’t hurt.”

Christmas tree rises once again on Village Hall lawn

In its annual November ritual, a public works crew Monday hoisted a Christmas tree into place on the lawn of La Grange Village Hall.

What kind of evergreen is it? They were not sure. Balsam fir, maybe?

Where did it come from? Hmm ... Wisconsin, they think.

But hey, they didn't order the tree. Their job is only put it in place.

We'll get the tree details from Mike Bojovic, assistant director of public works. In the meantime, you can watch a short video of the event.

There's a snowfall coming soon, no doubt.

Residents group releases details of its proposal to end litigation over sale of Gordon Park parcels

UPDATED - 11/13/09 - 3:15 a.m.

To view a PDF of the actual settlement proposal presented Thursday by the La Grange Friends of the Park, click here.

Attorneys for the La Grange Friends of the Park (LGFP) late Thursday afternoon made public the terms of its latest proposal to end litigation with the Park District of La Grange (PDLG) concerning the latter's efforts to sell 2.82 of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP) for inclusion in a major redevlopment of the Rich Port YMCA site at La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave.

Joining them in issuing the proposal is Orlando Coryell, who while not a member of the group, launched two earlier and successful efforts to stop PDLG from selling the parkland. His second lawsuit currently is under appeal.

The terms were drawn up at a private meeting held last Saturday, attended by more than half of the LGFP's 20 some odd members and Coryell. The document was then circulated among all of the group's members for review and comment, Tom Beyer, one of its attorneys, said Monday evening.

Copies of the document were released to the media shortly after it was emailed to representatives of PDLG, ARP, the Village of La Grange and the YMCA.

SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSAL

In the proposal put forth Monday, LGFP and Coryell, referred to jointly as Park Friends, would end their respective legal battles with PDLG provided several conditions are met.

Two of those conditions are incorporated from a settlement offer put forth two weeks ago by ARP:

• The developer would forego its planned purchase of Parcel 3, a 2.04-acre tract located directly east of the La Grange Towers condominiums, and purchase from PDLG only Parcel 2, a rectangular plot, roughly three-quarters of acre in size, adjacent to the northeast corner of Parcel 1, which is occupied by the former Rich Port YMCA. This would allow ARP to square off the Y parcel.
• ARP would significantly reduce the scope and density of its redevelopment of the Y site and Parcel 2, a project known as La Grange Place. The number of mid-rise apartments would be reduced from 283 to 236; the commercial space would be reduced from 33,000 square feet to no more than 18,000 square feet; and parking garage beneath the apartment complex would be reduced in size  by approximately 25 percent. 

ARP President Richard Aaronson said Monday that the project likely would have been modified even if his company was able to purchase both park parcels due to the decline of the real estate market since the project was announced.

LGFP's proposal contains some additional conditions that would require the cooperation of PDLG and the village.

PDLG would agree to put not less than 50 percent of the net proceeds from the sale of Parcel 2 into a trust fund for the purpose of acquiring new parkland. Also, each year thereafter, PDLG would additionally put the equivalent of the 10 percent of the proceeds into the fund.

"At one of our initial settlement conferences with [Cook County Circuit Court Judge Susan Fox Gillis], she asked about using some of the sales proceeds to buy parkland and the park district offered exactly that," Beyer said. "We’ll take them up on what they offered."

The village would have to abandon plans to reopen Shawmut Ave from La Grange Rd to Locust Ave. The latter road currently provides access to Gordon Park from Ogden Ave. PDLG earlier this year transferred a vacated portion of Shawmut Ave, which is now mainly open green space, to the village in exchange for a parking area of similar size located along Locust Ave. Under the terms of LGFP's proposal, the parcels would revert to their original owners.

Patrick Benjamin, director of community development, said Monday the village believes the restored roadway is still needed to provide direct access to La Grange Rd for traffic generated by both ARP's development and the new facilities PDLG intends to construct in Gordon Park.

Aaronson said Monday that his development could likely make do with the access provided by a short, existing paved portion of Shawmut Ave that connects the Y parking lot to La Grange Rd.

If the vacated portion of Shawmut Ave were restored to a full roadway, current plans call for ARP to foot the bill. Aaronson said that he has discussed with village officials the possibility of reducing the number of public improvements originally agreed to, or extending the timeframe for completing them. 

Among the improvements ARP originally agreed to fund was a makeover of the intersection of La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave. Before that deal was struck, village officials intended to spend $1 million of its money improving the intersection, but since has committed those funds to the renovation of the La Grange Theatre.

Beyer said Thursday that LGFP believes reopening Shawmut Ave, in addition to eliminating green space, would reduce the viability of Parcel 3. 

"It would make the space unusable in the sense that if you tried to use it as a recreation field, as the youth soccer leagues have done in recent years, you run the risk of having someone chase a ball into the road and into a car," Beyer said.

He said the group also fears that having a roadway adjacent to Parcel 3 would tempt PDLG into making another effort to sell the land for development at a future date.

That is why LGFP's proposed terms also call for an agreement by PDLG and the village to legally preclude themselves from attempting any future sale of Parcel 3.

"In perpetuity might be a little extreme," Beyer admits. "Should we be tying people's hands forever? Probably not. If the park district and village come back and say 25 years, we might say OK."

But eliminating the new roadway and protecting Parcel 3 "very definitely soothes some [LGFP members] who are just adamantly against the sale of any parkland at all," Beyer said.

A final condition of the settlement proposal would provide for the reimbursement of expenses incurred by its members and Coryell in fighting the sale.

"We're only talking about out-of-pocket expenses, probably in the neighborhood of $25,000," Beyer said. 

Most of those expenses were incurred by Coryell during his objection to PDLG's first and unsuccessful attempt to gain court approval of the parkland sale. Coryell's attorney in that lawsuit was Mark Daniel of the law firm Rathje & Woodward in Wheaton.

"One of the things that I find so hard to take is that some people are acting like [Coryell] is the most obnoxious person on the planet [for opposing the sale]," Beyer said. "He's somebody who put his money where his mouth is."

Beyer said that he and his co-counsels, Mark Wohlberg and Joan Johnson, are not seeking any compensation for their pro bono representation of LGFP in the current petition hearing, or of Coryell in his second lawsuit that successfully voided the public auction last January at which ARP was the sole bidder.

PDLG officials and their attorneys so far have not been actively involved in settlement negotiations outside of the courthouse, both Beyer and Aaronson said.

Yet John Shapiro, an attorney for PDLG, told Judge Gillis

Tim Kelpsas, president of the park board, Monday told the Suburban Life newspaper his board was waiting for a formal written proposal to which they could respond.

“They have never submitted to any party any proposal that says we will stop suing if this or this happens,” Kelpsas said.

Thursday's proposal appears to have changed that.

Developer provides details of its proposal to settle legal battle over sale of Gordon Park acreage

Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP) would purchase only three-quarters of an acre of land in Gordon Park from the Park District of La Grange and significantly scale back the density of its redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA site under a proposal the developer has offered in hopes of ending litigation that has held up the project, known as La Grange Place, for the past two years.

ARP President Richard Aaronson Monday said he was awaiting a response to the proposal from La Grange Friends of the Park (LGFP), a group of park district residents who are opposing the park district’s latest petition asking a Cook County judge to directly approve the sale of 2.82 acres of parkland to the developer.

If ARP and the residents group come to terms on an agreement, Aaronson said he will then meet with park district officials “to convince them that [accepting the compromise] is in their best interest.”

Roughly half of the 20-some LGFP members met Saturday morning to review and discuss ARP’s proposal, and reached a consensus on a response, Tom Beyer, one of three attorneys representing the group, said following the meeting.

Beyer declined to provide details but said he would release a written copy of LGFP’s full response later this week, after all its members have had a chance to review it.

The three-quarter parcel ARP would purchase—.78 acres to be precise—would be used to square off the northeastern corner of the former Y parcel, Aaronson said. The land currently is occupied partially by maintenance sheds no longer needed by the park district.

ARP would forego its original plans to purchase an additional 2.04-acre parcel, consisting of a grassy slope and picnic grove, which is located north of the .78-acre parcel and Y parcel and is directly east of the La Grange Tower condominiums.

The developer had intended to construct 23 town homes on the 2.04-acre. No town homes are included in the revised development plan offered by ARP, Aaronson said.

Also, ARP would reduce from 283 to 236 the number of units in a mid-rise apartment complex it plans to build, and would reduce the amount of commercial space in the project from 33,000 to approximately 18,000 square feet.

Downsizing the scale of the development is not intended to appease LGFP, Aaronson said, although some of its members had reservations about the size of the original development plans approved last year by village trustees. The density of the development and the traffic it would generate were among chief concerns expressed by many village residents who attended plan commission hearings on the project.

Even if ARP were able to proceed with purchase of the entire 2.82 acres it originally sought, the project likely would be modifed to address the realities of a currently weak real estate market, Aaronson said.

Click here to see a related story and video.

Public to get details of Gordon Park settlement talks this week, says attorney for residents group

An attorney for La Grange Friends of the Park LGFP), a group of residents opposed to the sale of 2.82 acres from Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP), said Saturday that his group this week would issue a written copy of its latest proposal to end litigation that for two years has held up redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA site at La Grange Rd and Ogden Ave.

Tom Beyer, one of three attorneys, all La Grange residents, who represent LGFP, said that half of the groups 20-odd members met Saturday morning to consider a settlement scenario put forth by ARP.

Beyer said the group had reached a consensus on a response but wanted to circulate a written copy of their position to all members of the group for input before releasing the document to the public.

Beyer said he hoped to make the proposal available to anyone interested as early as Wednesday.

While he would not discuss details of the negotiations with ARP, Beyer indicated that LGFP and the developer are close to having an agreement in principle, but said that no final settlement was possible without the cooperation of the Park District of La Grange and village officials.

For more details on the negotiations. the legal action and what's at stake, watch the video provided below.

Pawnbroker files lawsuit against village, landlord

A Berwyn man whose plans to open a pawnshop in downtown La Grange were derailed when village officials withdrew their support in response to an outcry from residents and business owners, filed a lawsuit Friday against both the village and his landlord, Chicago Breakings News, an online news service of the Tribune company, reported this evening.

In his lawsuit, filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, pawnbroker Andrew Grayson, seeks an amount greater than $50,000 from the village plus legal costs, the news service reported. Grayson also is seeking to recover a security deposit and rent totaling $15,470 from his landlord, Fifth Avenue Properties.

Grayson has not responded to a phone message left this evening by La Grange Today.

The lawsuit should come as no surprise to village officials. Legal action was threatened in two letters they received in late June and early July as the village plan commission and village trustees considered and eventually adopted changes to the downtown zoning ordinance which effectively prevented Grayson from following through on plans to open All-Star Jewelry & Loan at 71 S La Grange Rd, just south of Village Hall.

However, the inclusion of Grayson's landlord as a defendant is surprising because Fifth Avenue owner John Brannen initially was on Grayson's side against the village, co-signing the two letters in which the men proposed the village pay $250,000 or face a "likely lawsuit."

Village trustees July 7 met in a special closed session to discuss a response but made no public statement. A review of disbursements made by the village since that meeting disclosed no payments to either Grayson or Brannen.

Negotiations between attorneys for the parties apparently broke down when a settlement figure could not be agreed upon, Chicago Breaking News reported.

Grayson and Brannen apparently parted ways sometime during the summer. Shawn Temple of Belcaster Realty Group, who initially served as a consultant and representative to both men, last month said that Brannen "decided to move on."

Grayson in June said he felt betrayed by village officials, whom he said initially embraced his idea for the pawnshop. Grayson was issued a business license in May.

But after Village Hall in early June was besieged by dozens of residents and business owners, angered upon learning of Grayson's plans, officials did an about-face, hastily drafting changes to the downtown zoning code that outlawed several previously allowed business uses, including pawnshops. The ban applied to Grayson because he had not yet been issued a building permit.

At hearings held by the village plan commission June 29 several residents expressed concern that that the pawnshop would attract an undesirable clientele and spark a crimewave throughout the village from which stolen goods would conceivably be sold to the pawnshop.

But some residents also expressed sympathy for Grayson and were critical of village officials for the way the matter was handled. Some said they supported the idea of reimbursing Grayson for money he spent related to the store, including hiring an architect and making initial rent payments.

A status hearing for Grayson's lawsuit is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2010 before Judge Ronald F. Bartkowicz.