Attorney Douglas Cipriano, representing a group of Heather Hill neighborhood residents, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court the week of July 1 seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the construction of a storm water detention basin adjacent to Heather Hill School in Flossmoor. Crystal Cleggett is the only named plaintiff.
Cipriano said the first hearing on the matter will be Tuesday.
The emergency motion names the Village of Flossmoor, Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, Flossmoor School District 161 and Pan-Oceanic Engineering Company as defendants.
Earth removal work on the basin began June 13. The contractor is working on a mid-August deadline so the earthwork will be done before school opens.
The motion asserts the siting of the basin violates the village zoning ordinance because it is a change in use that should have been reviewed by the village Plan Commission. The motion also claims the basin is a danger and nuisance to neighborhood children and will impact property values in the vicinity.
The filing also claims the village did not give residents adequate notice or seek meaningful input from residents affected by the project.
Cipriano said the filing is an attempt by residents to be heard on the issue.
The village presented the Heather Hill basin plan at a board meeting in May 2023. A number of residents have reported they weren’t aware of the project until recently.
Mayor Michelle Nelson said she could not comment on pending litigation.
