Next action at controversial Menards site likely will be mowing
The next action at the site of a controversial Menards home improvement store in Vernon Hills likely will involve mowing rather than building construction.
As a building permit review is in process and legal action against the village-approved supercenter northwest of Gregg's Parkway and Milwaukee Avenue continues, tall weeds appear to be the most immediate issue.
Village staff has noticed the growth and notified the Cuneo Trust, which owns the property. Village code limits the height of grass or weeds on undeveloped lots to 18 inches and eight inches on developed properties.
"They've cut it once, they definitely have to do it a second time and I anticipate they'll have to do it a third time," building commissioner Mike Atkinson said.
The Menards proposal, which was approved two years ago by the village, encompasses 18 acres and accounts for most of the site on the northwest corner.
Official complaints regarding the site appearance have been nil but at least one resident in the Libertyville Ridge neighborhood, which borders it on the north, isn't happy. Dead trees and ornery, invasive thistle are a constant reminder of the new neighbor for Diane Tulipano, whose small backyard space abuts the site.
"The weeds are way over six feet tall," said Tulipano, who has lived there since 1994. She described the view as unsightly and said some neighbors in recent weeks have cut some of the taller weeds.
Tulipano said Libertyville residents have been ignored during the approval process. The Menards store will bring noise, fumes and lower property values, she added.
"We don't even have a berm. At least the Vernon Hills people have a berm," she said.
A schedule hasn't been set, but mowing should occur soon, according to Atkinson.
As for the Menards site, utilities have been installed and entry roads built, but the company has not begun foundation work. A permit application for the building is under review, Atkinson said.
"We completed a second review. We have a couple of items outstanding and we're waiting for them to follow up," he said. Those include the covered entry to the store, which needs to be reduced 5 feet in height, he said.
In July 2014, Vernon Hills trustees approved plans, with 44 conditions, for the two-story building. With a planned lumber yard and garden center, it will cover 286,986 square feet.
Residents in the high-end Gregg's Landing subdivision to the west filed suit three month later, arguing a warehouse violated covenants enacted when the site was annexed in 1988 and violated village ordinances. A Lake County circuit court judge determined the residents didn't have standing and the matter was filed in the 2nd District Appellate Court. A decision isn't expected until next year.
Menards has not commented publicly on the situation.