Carpentersville residents upset over Habitat's first 'green' home

Neighbors of the first "green" Habitat for Humanity house in the Fox Valley say the developers are doing little to protect the local environment by allowing harmful materials to spread throughout the area and leaving trash unsecured.

Some residents of Lord Avenue in Carpentersville say the construction zone at 140 N Lord Ave. is a disaster area with fragments of the plastic foam block foundation, pizza boxes, coffee cups, hard hats, scaffolding and general garbage strewn across the site, neighbors said.

"They are not following through and cleaning up the mess," said Sean Maloon, a neighbor. "I would have thought they'd be good stewards of the village's codes instead of doing whatever they wanted."

Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley is constructing a two-story 1,350-square-foot home using recycled parts, energy efficient materials and natural products. A major element of the home is the material the organization used to line the foundation: foam blocks.

While Habitat officials and contractors touted the product for its durability and energy saving properties, neighbors say it is polluting the neighborhood and threatening local wildlife.

"It absolutely defeats the purpose of being environmentally friendly because Styrofoam does not biodegrade," said Maloon, who moved into the neighborhood in April. "The purpose is to be earth-friendly and it is as long as it is taken care of."

Neighbors were outraged Thursday with the "big house on a small lot."

"It's a mess," said Steve Buettner, whose property on the corner of Lord and Charles avenues abuts the work in progress. "The trash comes on to our property occasionally."

Tess Buettner added that the home is becoming an eyesore because volunteers and contractors are not steadily working on the project.

"They area not going to finish it anytime soon," Tess Buettner said. "They're not here working everyday."

Bill Klaves, development director for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley, said Friday the site had been cleaned up and relevant permits are displayed at the site.

"We realized we had left Styrofoam out there, but we didn't think it was that bad," Klaves said. "We had to make arrangements to get someone out there to clean it up."

Carpentersville code enforcement had issued the organization two notices of violation, one for failing to display building permits and the other for debris, said Community Development Director Cindy McCammack, who described the notices as "routine."

"We issue those if someone doesn't have a number on their house," said McCammack, who added the violations were corrected before the deadline.

Klaves said the organization chose not to rent a garbage bin or portable toilets because "they are not aesthetically pleasing."

But once the group begins consistent work on the home, Klaves said they will be added.