Council rejects special-use request to fill floodplain for home at 248 Greeley

The Village Council voted down an ordinance that would have allowed fill and a retaining wall within the floodplain at 248 Greeley Street after lengthy committee debate and public testimony.

Staff and the village engineer advised that the requested 2-foot setback for the retaining wall raised stormwater-dispersal concerns and recommended a 6-foot setback to match the neighboring lot. "We're not supportive of the initial relief that's requested, and we're further recommending that the retaining wall be set back 6 feet," a staff planner said during committee discussion. The village manager and multiple council members expressed concern about displacement of floodplain storage in a neighborhood with recurring flooding and the limited capacity of local detention basins.

Len Kleinjan, a licensed professional engineer representing property owners Mike and Stephanie Orrigo, told the council the project would fill about 4,700 cubic feet of floodplain storage (he contrasted that to about 6,500 cubic feet filled by the neighboring lot) and said the owners would reluctantly accept staff's recommended 6-foot setback if required. "We're proposing 4,700 cubic feet," he said. Kleinjan also questioned engineering reasons for the larger setback and warned the reduction in buildable area would reduce the proposed home's size and market value.

Residents and the property owner addressed the council in favor of the project as an investment in the neighborhood; one owner said he had stabilized soils on nearby properties and supported redevelopment. Council members repeatedly raised the question of where displaced floodplain water would go and whether buying compensatory storage or contributing to regional detention basins would mitigate downstream effects. After roll-call voting recorded multiple "No" votes, the motion failed and the ordinance was not approved.