Neighbors in opposition pledge to continue the fight
By Dan McLeister
For The Elmhurst Independent
The City Council approved an electronic sign ordinance, the final step in a process about residential neighborhoods.
The vote included ten votes to approve the ordinance and three “no” votes from Scott Levin (5th Ward), Marti Deuter (1st Ward) and Michael Bram (3rd Ward). Michael Honquest (6th Ward) did not attend the meeting.
But it contains a conditional use provision, which says that each applicant must go through a public hearing and make a case for why the electronic sign should be allowed and why it will not have a negative impact on a residential area.
At an October 5th meeting, neighbors who oppose electronic signs said they will continue their opposition at each public hearing because they want to maintain the residential character of neighborhoods.
William Kling, who lives in the 100 block of S. Kenilworth, called the City process “procedural chicanery,” and that it was “unconscionable.” Any electronic sign will have a negative impact on residential neighborhoods, he said about his strong opposition, adding that “the process should be honest and fair.”
Jim Hauser, who lives in the 100 block of E. St. Charles, said an electronic sign on the property of Redeemer Lutheran Church would be like living across the street from a Dairy Queen. He stated that there have been a lot of accidents in the area involving cars, bikers and pedestrians. An electronic sign could distract drivers and possibly cause more accidents, he said.
Also Hauser noted that electronic signs are “not cookie-cutter.”
“The two lanes along St. Charles Rd. are different than a four-lane stretch in the area of Visitation Church, which has an electronic sign,” he said. “The Timothy Christian School sign on Butterfield is a mixed bag.”
Discussions about electronic signs began about three years ago when Redeemer Lutheran Church applied for one, but later withdrew the application.
The City decided that there should be more specifics about electronic signs. Kevin Van Slyke, who lives in the 300 block of S. Kenilworth, said he was challenging the process and that the City was pulling “a proverbial fast one.”
“It seems that this issue has not gotten a fair hearing,” he said.
Doug Manning, who lives in the 300 block of S. Kenilworth, commented that the electronic sign issue does not involve one or two sites, but 13 potential sites in various residential areas around Elmhurst.
“That is a lot of signs,” he said.
Manning further mentioned the brightness of electronic signs and the potential for “light pollution.”
