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Don't encourage more Lake Count development

Thank you, thank you, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, for having the brains and courage to say "no" to extending Route 53 beyond Lake-Cook Road.

Lake County has too much residential and commercial development and therefore, way too much traffic. Virtually no one drives at the area's varying speed limits. Faster, yes, not slower.

My husband and I moved to Lake County about three years ago. In that brief time, we've seen many commercial properties popping up, especially on Rand Road., plus residential and commercial development along Route 22.

The attractive farm field near the older house we bought? Oops, about 20 homes were built on it, so now a slew of new residents are driving either on our formerly quiet local street or zipping into heavily traveled two-lane Roberts Road.

Lake County needs a moratorium on new construction. This approach is used by at least one community near Rockford because valuable farmland was being wiped out for residential construction.

Despite Barrington and Lake Zurich development, some home construction has slowed.

Does Lake County really need to eradicate land, especially irreplaceable wetlands, for more fast-food restaurants, funeral homes and big- or little-box stores, each selling virtually the same consumer goods?

Chairman Lawlor is right to follow his instincts about the proposal's growing costs and likely harm to the area's quality of life and to its critical habitats and wetlands. I hope his idea for a "21st Century greenway" - especially the "green" concept that to me means saving open land and waterways used by wildlife - is a genuine alternative to yet another road luring even more traffic.

Helen Sierra

Barrington

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