Attorneys for Village and Orland Plaza Owners Agree on Settlement; Now Awaiting Trustees’ Vote

The court case regarding the Orland Plaza took a major step forward Thursday afternoon, as attorneys for the village and for the plaza owners reached a settlement agreement. 

The settlement still needs to be approved by the Orland Park Board of Trustees, who will meet Monday evening to discuss the agreement in closed session. If the board then approves the settlement, then attorneys will next meet in court on Aug. 2, where village lawyers will be motioning for a final judgment order in the case, according to a legal document filed Thursday afternoon.

Should the settlement hold, one major chapter in the court proceedings that have carried on for over two-and-a-half years will be closed. While in April 2010, Judge Sanjay Tailor ruled in favor of the village’s eminent domain claim to extend Ravinia and Jefferson avenues into an area mostly occupied by the Orland Plaza, court hearings have continued since to determine how much money the landowner and tenants are entitled.

Before compensation for the tenants can be determined, first the village and landowners had to agree on an amount for the land. But even with an agreement, much remains before the issue is resolved.

Attorneys for the tenants may object to portions of the agreement, and it will be up to a judge to decide whether those will be considered or not. Tenants’ lawyers were just .

In the meantime, tenants renting space – many of whom have – have been left waiting. Several business owners said they opted to hold off on essential repairs and updates to their businesses while the shopping center’s fate appeared to be sealed, but without a date they would have to leave.

Earlier in the year, and shuttered their doors. Randy’s Market recently announced they . Other business owners have been waiting for some . 

The village has engaged in on-and-off talks with developers about building the triangle area back up. Related Midwest walked away from the project after drafting several plans. But village officials said Indianapolis-based Flaherty and Collins is interested in building the first new structure, which likely will be housing located

The Main Street Triangle is Orland Park's bid to create a walkable city center around the train station, featuring shops, offices, restaurants and condominiums on land between the Southwest Service Metra track, LaGrange Road and 143rd Street. The project dates back to 2004, but has been stalled in controversy since the village began pursuing the Orland Plaza shopping center in 2006.

Plans related to .

Correction: Patch had originally reported that Orland Park village trustees would be voting in closed session. The trustees will be discussing matters in closed session, and then voting on the matters publically.