Since the late 70's a group of people have been pushing a 3rd major airport for the Chicago area. Several locations were studied. Opposition mounted in each area and to the entire idea since Midway would have to be closed if they chose any location that was being considered in IL. All of the IL plans plus one that was being considered in IN included using eminent domain. The debate went on for 20-some years and effectively put many people's lives on hold as they didn't know if their homes and land would be taken. Eventually a site near Beecher was selected. The airlines didn't want a new airport, and there was reason to believe a new airport wouldn't be approved or licensed by the FAA. So the powers that be decided to build near Beecher. There was a small private airport there. The plan was to take that airport use it for freight only, then petition the FAA for a license for passenger flights. The state started taking the surrounding farmland, and homes by eminent domain. They immediately tore down the houses and buildings. I knew one of the land owners. He was in his 90's and it broke his heart to see the house and buildings that his family built being knocked down. The state didn't stop with the land they "needed" for the proposed airport expansion. There was a lot of talk about area surrounding the airport and how it would be negatively effected. They state, wanting to head off more opposition set out to stop several residential developements. They bought some new houses. Most sat empty. The land acquisition people lived in some. Eventually someone blocked the exits on one house and set some cans of gas on the porches. The State Police were sent in to give the land acquisition people 24 hour a day protection. Land prices were soft in the effected area which is what the state wanted. There was a flaw in their plan. The owner of the small airport had died and they thought his widow would be a pushover. They didn't take the airport. A very successful business owner stepped in and bought the airport and started making improvements. The state informed him they were going to take it by eminent domain if necessary. He informed them it wasn't for sale, and he would fight eminent domain, and reminded the state that he had could better afford the fight than they could. Something else the state did to quell opposition from neighboring land owners was publicize that they would buy any land at market value that was adjacent to the land they were acquiring for the airport. A guy I know had a farm that was adjacent to a farm that the state had taken for the airport. They made him a lowball offer. He balked and reminded them of their promise to pay market value. They countered that his land wasn't adjacent to the airport land. They left a 15' strip around the airport that they did not take, or if they did they deeded it to someone other than the airport. They told him that once jets were flying over his land would be worthless and they'd buy it then.
The new airport plan and land acquisition is dead. The state owns a bunch of land that's growing up in weeds that was once productive farm land and had people's homes. What a waste. What a stupid waste. All because some politicians and business people saw some great big dollar signs.
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