Burr Ridge Village Hall After the Rejected Bids: Where to Go Now

Since June 1, Burr Ridge's Village Hall staff have worked from 451 Commerce Street. When the village announced the move, it called the space its "temporary location." The project that was supposed to end that arrangement was a new Village Hall addition at 7700 County Line Road. On October 26, the Village Board rejected every construction bid for it. The old building at 7660 County Line Road is already under contract to a buyer, so returning there is not an option. For now the Commerce Street office has no end date.

That affects where you pay a bill, where you speak at a Board meeting, and what replaces the old hall on County Line Road.

Why the plan stopped at the bids

The village hired Legat Architects to design the new building, and the final design was projected to cost about $8.5 million. That estimate left out final stormwater requirements. Twelve contractors submitted bids, which were read aloud at the Police Department on September 24. Construction had been planned to begin in the first quarter of 2027.

The lowest bid was $13,796,996, from Staalsen Construction of Chicago. The highest was $17,185,000, from Toro Construction. The lowest bid was about 62 percent above the estimate. Patch reported that more than half of the bids fell between $15.7 million and $17.2 million. Every one of the 12 bids priced the building far above the design budget.

At the October 26 meeting, trustees voted unanimously to reject all bids and end the village's relationship with Oak Brook-based Legat. The Hinsdale Journal reported the same outcome. Patch's account of the meeting quoted Mayor Gary Grasso: "While I understand that projects do, in some cases, come higher than you expect, it is clear that the market's expectations diverged sharply from Legat's."

The village's FAQ says the Board decided that building the project as designed "was not in the best interest of the Village or its residents." Staff have been told to develop an alternative plan and present it at a public meeting.

Where village business happens for now

No new building is coming soon, so the temporary setup is now the working setup. These are the current locations:

• Front counter and in-person services. 451 Commerce Street, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A staff member works the front counter.
• Village Board meetings. Since June 1, Board meetings have been held at Gower Middle School. Starting with a special meeting on Monday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m., the Board plans to meet in the Police Department training room at 7700 County Line Road. The Board will confirm its regular schedule and location at that meeting.
• Plan Commission meetings. The relocation notice moved these to Gower Middle School starting June 1, along with Board meetings.
• Administrative adjudication hearings. These have been held at the Willowbrook Community Resource Center since April 1.
• Other public meetings. Most other public meetings, except BFPC meetings, take place in the Public Works Conference Room at 451 Commerce Street.

The November 9 change is the one most residents will notice first. After five months at the middle school, Board meetings move back to County Line Road, inside the Police Department. The village says the training room is expected to hold about twice as many people as the old Village Hall boardroom, which was too small for public meetings.

The village has not decided where Village Hall will be long term. The FAQ says staff are reviewing options, including staying at 451 Commerce Street, and that any recommendation will go to the Board at a public meeting.

The old hall on County Line Road is already under contract

Burr Ridge can't wait this out in its old building because that building is being sold. A study of 7660 County Line Road found that renovating it was not financially feasible, and the Board voted unanimously to sell.

Finding a buyer took several rounds. Greenstone submitted a letter of intent in September 2025 and withdrew it in October. In November 2025 the village received two offers of $2.7 million each, from Goddard School and Primrose School. The Board chose Goddard because of its higher net offer and shorter timeline to close. The sale price is $2.7 million, and the village expects the sale to close by the end of 2026. The village's FAQ treats this sale as separate from the decision on the new building. The October 26 vote did not change it.

The preschool plan has also moved forward. On July 27, 2026, the Board unanimously directed staff to prepare an ordinance approving Goddard School's site plan and special-use requests for the property. The direction depended on staff reviewing fence samples and receiving a traffic study. Patch reported that the preschool planned to enroll 120 to 180 children and employ 20 to 30 staff.

The Veterans Memorial is not part of the sale. The village says it "will never sell the Veterans Memorial." The hall building will be split off from the memorial property, and the public will still be able to visit the memorial. Electricity, water and gas for the memorial will run through the 77th Street right-of-way or the existing Police Department.

Nearly four years to get here

The project's history shows how many paths were considered before the bids came in:

1. February 2023. Early concepts, site considerations and design priorities were presented at a public meeting.
2. June 2023. Site and utility surveys of 7700 County Line Road were compiled.
3. March 2025. Test-fit diagrams studied a new Village Hall at 901 McClintock.
4. September 2025. The village signed an agreement with Legat Architects to design a new Village Hall at the 7700 County Line Road site.
5. November 2025. The Board directed staff to negotiate the sale with Goddard School.
6. December 2025. Final concept renderings went to the Board on December 8.
7. Late May 2026. Administrative offices moved to Commerce Street and were fully running there by June 1.
8. July 27, 2026. The Board considered final drawings and specifications for bidding.
9. September 24, 2026. Twelve bids were opened.
10. October 26, 2026. All bids were rejected and staff were directed to develop an alternative plan.

Two of these steps can't be undone easily. The old building is being sold, and staff have already moved. The October 26 vote reopened the question of what gets built at 7700 County Line Road.

What the alternative plan has to settle

Before the October 26 meeting, the village said Mayor Grasso would ask staff to present an alternative plan within 30 days of the meeting. If the Board follows that timeline, the plan would arrive in late November.

The village FAQ shows some of the options under review. The Police Department building at 7700 County Line Road is nearly 20 years old. The village is reviewing its maintenance and improvement needs and the possible conversion of its training room into a boardroom. The scope, timeline and any effect on police operations are not final, and the Police Department continues to operate as usual.

The FAQ also answers the money question. It says the revised plan's cost and funding "have not yet been determined." Staff will present the scope, timeline and cost to the Board at a public meeting before any decision is made.

The village also offers an online public comment form for the project. Project updates, the full bid list and earlier presentations are on the village's Village Hall project page. The November 9 special meeting is the first Board meeting planned for the Police Department training room.

Changes along County Line Road, including a preschool at the old hall site and possible work on the Police Department, can affect plans for homeowners on nearby streets. If you'd like to talk through what these projects could mean for your home, the team at Smith Partners & Associates works from Burr Ridge and follows village decisions closely. Contact Us anytime.