Fourth Carol Stream house to be razed for flood relief
Carol Stream, with the help of a state grant, is planning to purchase a fourth house in a flood-prone neighborhood as part of a voluntary buyout program.
The village sought federal and state funds to buy the house in the neighborhood south of Armstrong Park following major flooding in 2008.
The village already has used county, state and federal grant money to purchase and raze three houses in the area. The fourth didn’t qualify for county funding, but the village received a $304,851 state grant for the purchase from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“We’ve been pretty tenacious trying to get this money for the buyouts,” said Bob Mellor, assistant village manager.
Unlike the first three homes, the state — not the village — will administer much of the buyout process, including an appraisal of the property, offer to the homeowner, title work and closing. Assuming the homeowner formally accepts the purchase offer, the village will then take ownership of the property and be responsible for demolition of the house, Mellor said.
The other three properties, two on the 500 block of Silverleaf Boulevard and one on the 300 block of Illini Drive, were purchased last year. Each lot will remain empty. Officials in the past have discussed using the spaces as rain gardens or bioretention areas.
Neither the village nor the state has disclosed the address of the fourth house because negotiations are just beginning.
The village previously received a $214,388 grant from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency through its hazard mitigation program for the fourth house buyout. But since DCEO agreed to fund the whole project, the money will be used for other hazard mitigation efforts, officials said.