Developer Meets With Bloomingdale Big-Box Opponents

For the first time since it officially formed in April, members of the CAN-DO grass-roots community group sat at a table with developers of the proposed development off Bloomingdale Avenue, at a June 28 meeting at the Bloomingdale Regional Library.

At issue is plans for a development that calls for a 158,800-square-foot big-box retail store, five commercial outparcels and 260 apartments on a 43.5-acre parcel off Bloomingdale Avenue, just east of the library and Bloomingdale High School.

“This is the first time residents had any discussion or dialogue with the developer since they submitted their preliminary site plan for the development [in January],” said Eric Brosch, a member of the Coordinated Active Neighborhoods Development Organization (CAN-DO).

“You’re hearing from us minutes after that meeting and we’re hopeful that we can continue a dialogue that will allow for a development that’s a better fit for this community,” he added. “We’ve always said we’re in this for the long haul and today’s meeting was another important step in that journey.”

In attendance at the library meeting were three high-level representatives from the developer, previously noted as Redstone Properties but listed now as Red Cast Bloomingdale LLC, said Dee Bristol, head of CAN-DO’s research committee.

Also in attendance were nine members of the CAN-DO steering committee.

“We wanted to reiterate the concerns that we’ve heard from everybody in the community, about traffic, about safety, about crime, about how this will impact the schools, the churches, and the owners of single-family homes,” Brosch said. “We wanted them to hear those concerns firsthand, in the community. We’re hopeful that we can continue a dialogue that will prevent a development that is devastating to the Bloomingdale community.”

Bloomingdale Oaks residents Brosch, Bristol and Pete Sleszynski were among the nine CAN-DO members at the library meeting.

“I have a great interest and concern for my community, so when this issue came up, I was very interested in getting involved,” Sleszynski said.

“Protecting our community is very important,” Bristol said. “Protecting the character of our community is extremely important.”

CAN-DO is "not opposed to development," Brosch added. "We are for sensible development.”

The CAN-DO representatives stressed as well that the group is committed to transparency, which is why notice of the library meeting was posted earlier in the day on the group’s Web site and Facebook page.

The developer had asked that the June 28 meeting not involve members of the press or the general public.

“We know we represent the community on this issue and that we aren’t the entire community, so we wanted to be transparent and share what’s going on so people know what’s happening,” Bristol said.

The library meeting was seen as an important first step to a larger dialogue with the community and toward a favorable resolution of concerns related to the contentious Bloomingdale Avenue development.

“We’re in communication with the county commissioners and now we’re in communication with the developer,” Brosch said. “It’s going to take the community, the county and the developer to be able to come to a positive resolution.”