Orland Park has acquired a nearly six-acre parcel in unincorporated Cook County that officials say will be used to control flooding problems while giving the village a say in future zoning decisions.
Trustees voted unanimously last week to spend $1.3 million on a 5.95-acre site near 171st Street and Wolf Road in the southwest section of town.
“We now will have a say on those two (flooding and zoning) major areas,” Mayor Jim Dodge said. “This was a decisive move to help solve a long-running problem.”
Dodge said the village plans to return the property to its “natural state and help the area with flood control.”
Trustee Bill Healy credited Dodge with broaching the idea (to acquire the property) with the trustees.
“I compliment the mayor,” Healy said. “”He brought this to the board and followed through with it until we acquired the property.
“The price was a bit up there but (purchasing the property) was a major step in permanently improving real estate values in the village.”
The next village board meeting will start at 6 p.m. Monday, September 15.