College of DuPage scales back expansion plan

College of DuPage officials have agreed to remove several controversial components of a planned expansion of its Glen Ellyn campus, county officials announced Tuesday.

The move comes after the village of Glen Ellyn — which has a history of disagreements with COD — and nearby homeowners associations voiced a range of concerns about the future structures and improvements at the 273-acre campus.

DuPage’s zoning board of appeals is reviewing the plan, which ultimately will go to county board members for a final vote.

While most of the plan reflects what the campus already looks like, it shows placeholders for future buildings and structures. Four of those buildings were heavily criticized by neighbors during last week’s zoning board meeting.

County board member JR McBride said DuPage officials this week “encouraged” COD to remove the four buildings from the plan. He said college officials were “very willing” to comply with the request.

“They really want to try to do what’s best for themselves and their neighbors,” McBride said Tuesday.

COD attorney Ken Florey said the four buildings aren’t crucial to the overall plan because they wouldn’t be constructed for years — possibly decades — depending on enrollment growth.

“The buildings were put there so that the county and the residents knew what the potential build-out of the college could be,” Florey said.

“Because those buildings would be constructed so far out, it made sense to bring down some of the anxiety of the residents by taking those off the table,” he added. “If we do have to go back for an approval (later), we’ll have much more detail about what they’re going to be.”

Three of the buildings — ranging from 69,000 to 153,000 square feet — removed from the plan were targeted for the western, southern and eastern borders of the campus. Their use hasn’t been determined, but residents opposed the three-story buildings because of their proximity to neighboring houses.

The fourth building taken out of the plan was envisioned as a 4,500-square-foot welcome center on the north side of Fawell Boulevard, west of Park Boulevard. Because Fawell curves there, neighbors said it would be a hazardous spot for a building.

McBride, who lives in Glen Ellyn, said county officials have heard from numerous residents who are concerned about increased traffic, lack of parking and possible flooding issues related to the campus expansion plan.

“We understand those concerns and agree that the most important aspect of this project is public safety for not only the residents, but also for the students and faculty,” McBride said. “We share that public safety priority with COD as we work on a compromise plan that will better reflect the residents’ concerns.”

One part of the plan that won’t be modified calls for a future water treatment plant and water tower in the southwest corner of the campus. Neighbors have complained the structures would be too close to property lines.

“Those are staying in (the plan) because they are likely to occur in the next five years,” said Florey, adding that the college is exploring the possibility of using well water to meet its long-term water supply needs.

COD currently gets Lake Michigan water through Glen Ellyn. However, estimates show the college could save nearly $1 million annually if it switched to a well-water based system, according to Florey said.

When asked about the revised plan on Tuesday, Staci Hulseberg, Glen Ellyn’s director of planning and development, said the village hasn’t received any formal documentation from the county or the college. Therefore, she said, the village doesn’t know if its concerns have been alleviated.

DuPage officials are reviewing the planned development application for COD’s campus because of a recent agreement that transferred regulatory control — including stormwater, building and zoning — from Glen Ellyn to the county. The county accepted oversight responsibilities to end a bitter legal battle between COD and Glen Ellyn in which the college argued it wasn’t under the village’s jurisdiction.

The county’s zoning board is slated to continue its review of COD’s plan during a hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of the county administration building, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.