Neighbors protest proposed hotel after Roselle signs letter of intent with developer

Roselle neighbors made a strong showing at a village board meeting Monday night to speak out against a proposed hotel development that officials stress is still in its early stages.

Opponents gathered petition signatures before an overflow crowd packed the board chambers to air concerns about traffic, security, flooding and noise if a four-story hotel was built on village-owned land at the southwest corner of Roselle Road and I-390 at Roselle's northern gateway. Neighbors called it their first large-scale display against the concept.

"We just want to make it clear that we oppose the hotel, and we hope that the village of Roselle makes every effort to keep a clear line of communication open on decisions being made about this property that can affect our lives in the future," said James Reinke, a spokesman for a group of north Roselle residents. "We do understand it's very early in the process. However, we do not want to be inactive and wait until it's too late."

The village board in June signed a letter of intent making Green Dot Builders "the exclusive potential developer during a six-month period" to prepare a preliminary plan for building a Tru by Hilton hotel and a restaurant on the 6.5-acre, vacant property.

"The developer, right now, he initially likes the site," Community Development Director Patrick Watkins said. "He had some initial, very positive comments from Hilton, but Hilton does a long process. It's their brand. They want to make sure they don't open something that's going to be shuttered."

Addressing village trustees Monday, Watkins gave an update on that period of due diligence, but underscored that no formal proposal has been submitted to the village. Over the six months, the developer would be expected to study site access, lighting, market feasibility and buffering for neighboring properties, among other issues.

"I think it's important though to back up to make sure there's a clear understanding we don't have a petition," Watkins told the board. "We don't have a site plan yet. All we have is a letter of intent. ... What that does is provide six months of due diligence. It allows a developer to see if a Tru Hilton wants the site. It also allows them to look at the site, see if they can situate it and, more importantly, situate it in a manner that the village would support, so it's very early in the process."

Watkins said village planners would oppose positioning the hotel right against Arthur Avenue to the south. He called providing access off Roselle Road an "important" component of a hotel development at the site.

The potential impact on existing wetlands and stormwater drainage are others unknowns that are troubling neighbors.

"I think we all fear if you put that much concrete and get rid of all that land that's currently sucking up water that it's going to cause major issues," said Dave Strykowski, who lives on the 500 block of May Street to the west of the site.

Two years ago, the village adopted a long-term blueprint for the struggling north Roselle Road corridor as part of its 2016 comprehensive plan. The village also established a tax increment financing district - bounded by Devon Avenue to the south and just past Nerge Road to the north - over much of the area in 2015.

Green Dot has not indicated an interest in seeking TIF dollars for a hotel project, Village Administrator Jeffrey O'Dell said Monday.

The village's 120-page plan noted the site's proximity to the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway makes it ripe for a hotel development. Factoring in the existing wetlands and room for a wetland buffer, engineering consultants indicated in the plan that 3.9 acres of the 6.5-acre site would be available for development.

Some residents also are worried that a hilly area would be lost for neighborhood kids who go sledding in the winter.

"Yes, we are surrounded by the Elgin-O'Hare and Roselle Road, but this area is that buffer between both of those, and it's the reason why many people moved there because it is so lush and beautiful," Strykowski said. "Even though the Elgin-O'Hare is on the other side and Roselle Road is right there, it makes you feel like you're in a preserve, and that would definitely not exist if this hotel was built."