LA GRANGE, IL – An Atlanta-based developer has offered to pay $18.8 million for Lyons Township High School’s property in Willow Springs.
Click Here: FIJI rugby jersey
In letter to the school Friday, Pulte Group proposed to build 97 ranch homes and 96 townhomes on the school’s 73 acres.
The developer said the subdivision would be age-restricted, meaning a majority of the residents must have reached a certain age.
Find out what's happening in La Grangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In a public statement Thursday, the school board released the letter from Pulte Group and its response. It said the offer was unsolicited.
This openness is a far cry from the school’s approach when it received an offer of $65 million for the property from an industrial developer nearly two years ago. (The developer’s later bid was $55 million, beating out one other bidder.)
Find out what's happening in La Grangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In response, the school engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with the developer, Bridge Industrial, for eight months before announcing to the public it was looking to sell the land.
Even then, officials kept secret Bridge’s original offer and the school’s desire to sell to an industrial bidder. The land was zoned for housing and small retailers.
In late January 2023, Patch published a story about the school’s secret plan. Willow Springs residents and others were enraged. After a couple of months of tumultuous meetings, the school board backed off its plan weeks before the April board election.
This week, board President Dawn Aubert responded to Pulte’s offer. She said the school was legally barred from selling its property based on letters of intent to a private party. It must comply with state law, she said.
Aubert told the company the board would discuss the property at its meeting Monday.
Pulte Group said it has closed on more residential development properties than any other builder in the Chicago area. It provided a list of such properties, but none are in Lyons Township.
The company also said it was one of the top five home builders in the country.
For more than 60 years, the high school has owned the forested land in Willow Springs. It bought the property with the expectation that the school would need a third campus, but enrollment stabilized after the 1960s.
School officials said that based on studies, they see no need for a third campus. They said the proceeds of a land sale would be used to upgrade the school’s two campuses.
“We understand that some residential neighbors and municipal partners nearby have concerns about the development of this property,” the school board said in Thursday’s statement. “At the same time, we have heard from others that we must consider the potential for this vacant and unutilized asset to support the District’s ability to maintain and enhance our schools and deliver the excellent education our community and students deserve and expect from (the high school).”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.