Warrenville plans to build bike path on private property, across street from public forest preserve
CHICAGO (CBS) – Warrenville's city council approved a bike trail project in 2017.
Six years later, no ground has been broken. Some residents are complaining, but not because of the delay.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory dove into the question of why the public path needs to go on private property.
Pam Spevak treasures her 60-plus years with the towering trees.
Neighbor Mitch Adamus is proud of his lush front yard.
"I've got prairie petunias growing on the hillside here," Adamus said.
Both homeowners live on Mack Road, and both are upset with some tiny flags that symbolize a big change.
"[It's] the intrusiveness, the privacy," Adamus said.
The flags are related to a plan that would connect the trail in the Blackwell Forest Preserve with a bike path that would be routed right through five Warrenville properties, including Adamus' and Spevak's.
"All four of these trees could potentially be impacted," Spevak said, showing CBS 2 the property.
Fences, pillars, and lights would also need to go. Spevak and Adamus are concerned about property values and liability. What if a bicyclist on the path is hit by a car using their driveways? Will flooding get worse?
Victory: "Drainage concerns, you have safety concerns, what else?"
Spevak: "Utilities!"
Those were all concerns that wouldn't be a problem on the other side of the road.
"If there was houses across the street, well then that's a different scenario," Spevak said. "But there's no houses across the street. It's a forest preserve and trails go in forest preserves."
She's right. The other side of the road is taxpayer-funded land.
"The obvious place to put a bike path would be right over there," Adamus said.
Spevak added, "There's really no justification for putting a public trail on private property when public land is available."
Warrenville's Mayor David Brummel told CBS 2 his hands are tied.
"We have no choice," he said.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve owns the public land. That's why there's a dog park. A forest preserve spokesperson said the land surrounding the area holds "high ecological value," and construction there would cause habitat loss, shade reduction, changes to nest structure, and more.
"There's no way that they're going to give up their sensitive land for this path, so our choice is either put it on the north side or don't do it," said Brummel.
Victory: "Why, in your opinion, is the path a good idea if it has to go on private property?"
Brummel: "Oh, that's an easy one. We are a bicycle-friendly community."
He went on to explain how safety is at the center of the project. The road has no shoulder.
"This is a recognized safety hazard by everyone in the community," Brummel said. "There is almost universal consensus that this is a good idea. This path is a good idea. We want it."
CBS 2 asked neighbors what amount of compensation might change their minds.
"No amount of money," Spevak said.
Their skepticism isn't helped by plans that have been revised at least four times. A tattered flag shows the original width of the path - close to 7 feet, almost to the fence line.
The orange flags on the property show 25 feet for the project, on top of another 42 feet for temporary construction equipment.
"Take anything they say with a grain of salt," Spevak said. "Because if you change something four times, that's questionable in my mind."
Senior civil engineer Kristine Hocking said the location of the path has not changed.
"It looks like it has grown, but those are just permanent or temporary easements in that area in order to make their transition back to their existing driveways more smooth," she said.
Hocking added that the design will actually improve drainage issues in the area.
"We're not about trying to ruin your front yard," said Mayor Brummel. "We're trying to make it better from a more general perspective."
The village is pedaling forward, despite some resistance.
The Mack Road project is already 75% paid for through federal funding. Brummel said that money would be lost if the bike path were to be put on ecologically sensitive land owned by the forest preserve.
