South Suburbs for Greenspace Over Concrete Formed as New Campaign of Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy to Fight Development of Calumet Country Club

HOMEWOOD, Ill. - February 1, 2021 — A multi-racial group of concerned residents of Homewood, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, South Holland and Glenwood came together to form a group in opposition to Diversified Partner LLC’s planned development of Calumet Country Club (2136 175th St, Homewood, IL 60430) into a fulfillment/trucking hub. South Suburbs for Greenspace over Concrete (SSGOC) operates as a campaign of Illinois Southland Against Fossil Fuel Energy (SAFE). SAFE is following up its successful fight against the building of a fossil fuel power plant in Glenwood, Ill. SAFE and the SSGOC oppose this development because the site should be used for something that benefits everyone in the community.

Calumet Country Club is home to almost 130 acres of greenspace and over 2,000 trees. The proposed facility would be located less than a mile from Prairie-Hills Junior High School, Nob Hill Elementary School, Highlands Elementary School, and Pottawatomie School, and less than two miles from Mae Jemison School, Robert Frost Middle School, Chateaux School, Saint Anne School, Jesse White Learning Academy Elementary School, and Warren Palm School, and a half-dozen day care facilities.

The replacement of greenspace and trees, with trucks and concrete, will adversely affect the community in many ways. It will lead to a permanent decrease in property values in the surrounding residential neighborhoods and entire communities. It will increase pollution that will cause illness in residents. In an area with recurring flooding, existing flooding issues will be exacerbated. Finally, site operations will cause increased traffic and safety hazards, with no plans to widen connecting streets (Dixie Highway and 175th Street).

Homewood resident Michelle Yates, a SAFE board member and SSGOC activist, takes issue with the development based on her research as an Environmental Media professor. “This proposal would be considered environmental racism. Even though the effects may be localized, disproportionately black residents will be impacted.” Homewood is 44% African American/Black; Hazel Crest is 87% African American/Black; East Hazel Crest is 53% African American/Black; Flossmoor is 62% African American/Black; Markham is 79% African American/Black; and Country Club Hills is 89% African American/Black.

Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice defines environmental racism as the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color. Construction of a facility that emits particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Homewood or Hazel Crest is the epitome of eco-racism. The south suburbs bear an unequal burden of the growing eCommerce industry. Facilities, like that proposed by Diversified Partners, LLC, service all of Chicagoland, but the environmental cost is only borne by those in the areas where warehouses and fulfillment centers are being built. The south suburbs have a larger minority population than the western and northern suburbs.

The Village of Homewood, where 116 acres of the site lie, brought the re-development proposal to the public’s attention in mid-2019. As the proposal received an immediate, unfavorable reception from residents, Village officials unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate development terms satisfactory to the potential developer and residents. As negotiations crumbled, Diversified Partners, LLC brought forward a lawsuit to annex the property to Hazel Crest, where 12 acres of the property lie and current elected officials may welcome the project. The Village of Homewood Board of Trustees voted January 26, 2021, to accept a settlement with Diversified Partners, LLC. The terms of the settlement heavily skew in favor of the developer, including a stipulation that the Village of Homewood will rezone the property from park use to industrial use.

David Janocha, who owns a home immediately across the street from the site, is one of many residents dissatisfied with the settlement terms. “I’m quite sure whatever settlement agreement they come to will have/do nothing for the Governors Park residents.” He vows to continue the fight along with SSGOC. “I’m not going to sit back just because the Village is.”

About South Suburbs for Greenspace over Concrete

A multi-racial group of concerned residents of Homewood, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, South Holland and Glenwood formed in opposition to Diversified Partner LLC’s planned development of Calumet Country Club (2136 175th St, Homewood, IL 60430) into a fulfillment/trucking hub. The group is a campaign of SAFE.

About Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy

Illinois Southland Against Fossil Energy was founded in response to the proposed gas-burning power plant in Glenwood. SAFE is building an inclusive, multi-racial coalition that believes the Southland needs and deserves a clean environment, clean government, healthy people, and a healthy economy.