Arlington Heights homes get sump pump pipes moved
Residents in the Arlington Market subdivision in Arlington Heights are getting new code-compliant sump pump discharge pipes, resolving a long-running dispute over where water was being deposited.
The pipes had carried water into side yards, between homes, that often led to standing water and flooding, residents said. Negotiations between the homeowners association and developer M/I Homes over the last year led to agreement to relocate where those pipes go.
On Thursday, crews began installing pipes that direct water to the front or back of homes at 22 properties near Dryden Place and Wing Street. Homeowners had to sign documents formally giving M/I permission to complete the work, according to Robin Ward, the village's in-house counsel who coordinated meetings between the two sides.
"It was just a question of trying to find a way of trying to move where the sump pumps discharged so it didn't discharge in-between houses," Ward said Friday.
The original discharge pipes were not compliant with village code, but M/I received certificates of occupancy that allowed new homeowners to move in. Those certificates were issued with the understanding that the sump pump discharges, exterior work and grading would still be completed according to code, officials said.
Dozens of residents attended a village board meeting last August to complain about the discharge pipes and ask village officials to get involved.
The village has been holding a construction bond for the development; once the discharge issue is resolved it will be released, Ward said.
In another change, a new sign is also being installed at the entrance to the subdivision at residents' request, she said.