Stand With Us to Demand Transparency in La Grange: Help Stop the Demolition
Hi neighbors, it’s Jonathan and Kiersten Robinson from 7th Ave.
For the past several months, we have been fighting to ensure our voices, and the voices of our community, are heard regarding the development at 112 E. Burlington Ave. (The Jackson Moving & Storage building). We are currently standing up against a significantly flawed process that heavily favored the developer at the expense of our home, as well as the neighborhood. Right now, we are facing an aggressive legal hurdle, and we need your help.
The Immediate Issue: Why We Need You Now
We successfully earned a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from a judge, which is currently the only thing preventing the immediate demolition of the existing building. The judge granted this TRO because we proved our case has merit.
However, the developer is now using high-pressure tactics to force our hand. They have requested that the court increase our required TRO bond from $5,000 to an insurmountable $2.5 million.
We believe this is a deliberate attempt to price us out of the TRO battle. If we cannot afford the bond, the TRO lapses, and they can demolish the building immediately. The Village issued a demolition permit on June 10th, and the contractor installed a protective canopy on Burlington Ave. on June 15th. They are heavily banking on the court setting a bond amount that will steamroll our TRO.
The Power of Your Support: More Than Just Money
We have a critical hearing on July 2, 2026 (rescheduled from June 22), where the judge will review this unreasonable $2.5 million bond request.
This is where you come in. Even more than the total dollar amount, we need to show the judge a list of individual donors to show that it isn’t just the Robinsons demanding that the process be completed fairly.
We want to walk into that courtroom with an undeniable visual representation of the incredible people rooting for a fair process. A donation of any size, even a few dollars, acts as your signature of support. It shows the court that we are not alone, that residents are watching, and that the community sees a serious problem with how this development was pushed through.
Why This Matters to All of La Grange
This isn't just about the effects on our property; it’s about the precedent set for the entire Village. The Village approved a massive five-story condo development that requires egregious zoning exceptions, including:
Balconies just 12 feet from our lot line (when the required setback is 29’ 7”).
A loading area just 3 feet off the lot line.
A mere 6-foot setback on 7th Ave. (when the requirement is approximately 44 feet).
Development is necessary and inevitable, but it should never be done at the expense of the residents who make La Grange a great place to live. If the Village demonstrates a willingness to disregard the rules and the residents here, what is stopping this from happening yet again across the Village?
Our Promise: Complete Financial Transparency
Your financial contributions will empower us to persevere through these coercive legal tactics. Here is our exact plan for the funds:
Primary Use: Donations will go directly toward the required court bond and our legal fees.
Community Guarantee: Any funds not used for the bond or legal costs will be donated back to the local community. We will ask you, our donors, for input on where that money should go at the appropriate time.
Reimbursement Plan: If the court awards our attorney’s fees back to us at the end of this lawsuit, we will donate that recovered money back to the community as well.
Moving Forward
In the coming weeks, we will be launching blog updates and podcasts to share our side of the story, outline the lack of due diligence by the Village, and correct the misinformation floating around.
Please consider donating whatever you can through our Spotfund to add your name to our list of supporters before the June 22nd hearing.
If you have any questions about the lawsuit, the timeline, or the facts, we are keeping our door open. Please email us directly at robinsons@letthemtalk.net.
Thank you for standing with us, Jonathan & Kiersten Robinson
