Lisle candidates talk Meijer parcel

More than six years after abandoning its legal fight to bring a store to Lisle, Meijer still owns one of the largest pieces of prime undeveloped land in DuPage County.

So far, it's unclear what the retailer is planning to do with it.

On Wednesday, a Meijer spokesman said only, “As of today, we have no active plans for a store” on the 60-acre site along Maple Avenue near Benedictine University. Lisle officials say there have been no recent talks between Meijer and the village.

Still, candidates in Lisle's village board race say they're hopeful Meijer could be persuaded to sell the land.

“It should be developed residential,” said Trustee Ed Young, who won his first election in 1999 while leading the battle to stop the Meijer store. “I am very optimistic that's going to happen in the not-too-distant future.”

Young said he's seeking re-election because he wants to serve on the village board until the Meijer property is resolved.

Joining him in the bid for three seats are incumbents Mark Boyle and Cathy Cawiezel and challengers are Richard Wilkie and Gary Ledvora.

Ledvora said the Meijer site continues to be a concern because the retailer could seek to develop it at any time.

In 1999, residents sued Lisle to invalidate the village's annexation and rezoning of the property to make way for the store. Three years later, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld lower-court decisions voiding Lisle's actions, ruling that officials violated citizens' rights by not allowing them to question Meijer representatives at a public hearing. The legal wrangling quietly ended in November 2004 when Meijer declined to appeal the decision.

If elected, Ledvora said he would “actively” seek ways for the village to encourage Meijer to sell the land and “establish a community appropriate development.”

He accused current trustees of doing “nothing” to prevent Meijer from sitting on the property for years.

However, Young said the village has made attempts to communicate with Meijer. He said a 2009 letter went unanswered.

Boyle said village officials have been “very busy” seeking appropriate development opportunities for a variety of locations, including the Meijer site and parcels along Ogden Avenue.

The problem is that there's little development happening anywhere because of the poor economy.

“There's no money out there,” Boyle said. “No developer is going to be doing much of anything. But we have positioned ourselves for the future. As things start to move, we want to be there.”

Wilkie said his dream is to see the Meijer property developed as a residential project with “green” energy efficient buildings. “We could get Meijer some good public relations,” he said, “and develop that land in a way that everybody in Lisle would like.”