In 1977, Oak Brook acquired approximately 270 acres of land, upon which the current OBBT pool, clubhouse, clay tennis courts and golf course sit.  The land is known as the "sports core."  Oak Brook residents voted in favor of this acquisition via a public referendum that authorized the village to impose a property tax of approximately $11 million.  This is the only property tax ever imposed on Oak Brook properties.  

Since the acquisition, Oak Brook residents have enjoyed the sports core and its amenities after paying fees established by the village.  Current fees to use the OBBT pool and clay tennis courts are here.

The OBBT pool was built in 1965.  Fewer than 100 Oak Brook families currently utilize the OBBT pool or the clay tennis courts.   

The Oak Brook village board is considering developing the clubhouse into a private banquet hall that could serve 300 guests.  The development is couched in a proposed 30-year "Addendum" of a 12/13/2023 "License Agreement" of the clubhouse. This development would require, inter alia, 

•  a minimum of 120 additional lighted parking spaces on sports core grounds
• construction of a full-sized commercial kitchen and two outdoor patios
• newly-constructed dry, refrigerated and frozen storage areas

We, the people of Oak Brook, ask the village board to REJECT the proposed development because:

1. Development of the sports core will irretrievably damage the environment.  The (minimum) 120 parking spaces will increase stormwater runoff and exacerbate water quality issues. Parking lots are often made of impervious materials like asphalt or concrete (covered with petroleum products), thus preventing rainwater from infiltrating into the soil. The water instead, then, flows across the lot, picking up pollutants like oil, debris, and other contaminants, before eventually entering storm drains and reaching nearby waterways.  Oak Brook recently added parking spots to the golf course, the soccer fields (between the OBBT and the library) and on Ace Hardware land.  Not to mention the massive parking lot at Christ Church.   Enough!
2. The proposed development will increase traffic to and from the OBBT pool and clay courts. This short road is already trafficked by attendants of:  OBBT pool, clay tennis, small weddings at the clubhouse, the library, the soccer fields (practices and tournaments) and public works trucks (via the barn).  Adding large banquet events to this traffic flow could necessitate yet another stoplight on 31st street.
3. The proposed development will impair the character of the OBBT pool and clay courts.  The development will significantly enlarge the clubhouse, and this means that commercial activity in the sports core will significantly increase--more employees, more food deliveries, more garbage trucks, etc. Creating 120 additional parking spaces, as the proposal requires, means paving between 36,000 and 42,000 square feet, plus handicapped slots. Green space equaling almost a football field would be forever lost, and the serenity of the sports core would diminish. Currently the sports core offers a semi-rural respite from strip malls and congestion.  We value that. We do not want to become like every other frenetic Chicago suburb.
4. The proposed private banquet hall unfairly competes with existing banquet facilities in the village.  For example, Hyatt Lodge offers a beautiful banquet venue near the site, and it pays county, district and other taxes, which the proposed developer would not have to pay under the lease.  The village should not enable a direct competitor in the large banquet market.  The village should respect the deed to sports core land, which requires that land be used for a "public purpose."  The village should respect the fact that sports core land is not zoned for commercial use.
5. The proposal is economically disadvantageous to the village.  The proposal locks the developer's minimum monthly fee at only $10,000 for ten years.  For 20 years thereafter, the minimum monthly fee adjusts by CPI-U.  Moreover, the developer won't pay the minimum monthly fee for the first two years (meaning the village gives the developer a 2-year, interest-free loan of $240,000).  The event fees (which are percentage-based) are speculative, and would require village staff to audit all of the developer's accounts and events.  Cash transactions would have to be recorded. Village oversight would be substantial.  Moreover, the proposal does not require the caterer to invest a sum certain.  We do not know what we are getting from him.
6. The developer is a caterer, and his website reflects no experience owning a banquet hall. The caterer's story page on its website says "but wait, no one really knew anything about real estate, so catering it was!" Our village should not be his business experiment.  Further, the caterer can assign his rights to whomever his financing requires.  This means an unknown entity could step into his legal position. The risk to the village is too high; the reward is too low.
7. Apparently neither an engineering nor topographic study has not been done, so the effects of the proposed construction are unknown.  The showers at the OBBT have never properly drained.  The clubhouse's infrastructure may not support additional bathrooms and a new large professional kitchen. Banquet halls demand substantial water usage and therefore require a well-engineered, high-capacity plumbing network to support their operations.  Bathrooms must be accessible to all persons, including the disabled.  Drainage must be secured so that overflow does not run to the pond, Salt Creek or surrounding environs.  Septic tank systems may be required.  Garbage from large events must be contained, typically in a separate building that is protected from raccoons, rats etc.  These basic issues are no where addressed or priced into the proposal.  These issues (and many others) must be carefully vetted before inking any deal.
8. Even if the proposed development "works" and provides more village revenues to improve the existing pool and tennis courts, very few Oak Brook residents use these facilities.  We do not want to sacrifice the sylvan sports core to satisfy non-resident OBBT members. 
9. The village has enough funds from golf course revenues to maintain and improve the existing pool and clay tennis courts.  Even if golf revenues lag, our village is collecting sufficient sales tax to support the pool and tennis courts.  The March/April Oak Brook Newsletter states "the village reserve fund balances have doubled over the last four years" (page 2).   Oak Brook had a $15 million surplus at the end of 2024, and that amount is growing. According to the February 2025 edition of "Advancing Oak Brook" the sports core fund totaled over $3.2 milliion as of 12/31/2024.  The sports core does not need a banquet hall to stay afloat.
10. The Oak Brook sports core belongs to Oak Brook residents.   Any major decision regarding disposition of the sports core must be put to the people via public referendum.