The Will County Land Use and Development Committee postponed a recommendation regarding a nondestructive hydro-excavation business proposal in Homer Township. The delay gives Badger Daylighting Corporation time to collaborate with officials from Homer Glen and Homer Township, who have voiced opposition to the plan.
Badger Daylighting Corporation aims to establish an office and accommodate its trucks on approximately 38 acres at 15202 W. 159th St. The company seeks to change the zoning to a highway commercial designation. More than 500 residents have signed an online petition against the proposal, highlighting widespread concern among local communities, including officials from Homer Glen, Lockport, and Homer Township.
Committee members expressed appreciation for Badger’s willingness to engage with local leaders to address community concerns. Badger, with operations in both the United States and Canada, plans to relocate from Channahon to Homer Township, attracted by a larger site. The company’s excavation technique involves a pressurized water and vacuum system, using about 20,000 gallons of water daily. This usage has raised worries among residents who rely on wells for their water supply.
Pumping industrial volumes of water from the source could drastically lower the water table for neighboring families, while simultaneously drawing existing surface contaminants deeper into our drinking water,
said Raymond Halper, a concerned resident. He emphasized the need for measures to prevent negative impacts on drinking water.
Attorney Cass Wennlund, representing Badger, stated the company’s willingness to make concessions to address water concerns, including possible annexation into Homer Glen and accessing Illinois American Water or securing water off site.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike voiced the village’s objection during the committee meeting. County Board member Frankie Pretzel, chair of the Land Use Committee, stated the necessity for a definitive plan to prevent uncertainty about aquifer effects.
Residents also highlighted concerns about rezoning’s potential impact on neighborhoods like Cedar Glen and Windmill Estates. Badger plans to park about 30 trucks, which will generate 80 to 120 trips daily, increasing noise, diesel emissions, and traffic near schools and residential areas. The land is presently zoned for residential use.
Judy Ogalla, a county board member, pointed out that adjacent property zoned for industrial use already houses a self-service storage facility, highlighting more intensive zoning concerns.
Resident Mark Gawron noted that local leaders envision 159th Street without industrial components. Homer Township Supervisor Sue Steilen, opposing the proposal, warned of potential zoning intensification.
You are going to create this industrial corridor that wasn’t planned by the community, the 40,000 people that live in (Homer Township),
Steilen said during the committee meeting.
Badger has offered to utilize only 12.5 acres of the site for business needs and suggested the possibility of donating or selling the remainder to the Forest Preserve District of Will County. Kevin North, general manager for Badger’s Upper Midwest region, expressed a desire for partnership and good neighborly relations.
The Will County Board has asked Badger to work with the forest district on a land agreement in the coming month. Mayor Neitzke-Troike aims to cooperate with Badger in finding a more suitable site. The proposed Homer Township business promises over 50 union jobs without any return of contaminated materials to the site.
The legal objection filed necessitates a 3/4 supermajority of County Board members to approve the project in its final phase.