Settlement reached in Albion noise dispute

A local family appears to have finally struck the right chord with the developers of a large residential property to resolve noise-pollution problems they say have for years eroded their quality of life.

Highland Park’s City Council during its June 29 meeting approved a settlement agreement and covenant not to sue related to years-long noise issues at the Albion Highland Park building, 1850 Green Bay Road.

As previously reported by The Record, Jody and Peter Mordini have on multiple occasions addressed the City Council to detail the “physical and mental” suffering they’ve experienced from the noise created by 40-plus air conditioning units at the Albion apartment development.

The Mordinis appeared in front of the council in June of 2024 and previously in July of 2023 to urge the board to take action on the noise pollution created by Albion’s units.

Highland Park officials, days after the Mordinis first brought forward their concerns in 2023, stated during an administrative hearing that a sound test conducted by the city’s community development department showed that the Albion Highland Park building was in violation of the city’s sound ordinance.

Albion Highland Park is branded as a luxury-apartment development that opened in 2021 just north of Central Avenue off Green Bay Road. To its north, Albion abuts single-family homes along Sheahen Court, where the Mordinis live.

In response to the noise emanating from the Albion property, the city issued several citations to the building’s ownership, as previously reported by The Record.

Those citations, which according to the city are currently being adjudicated through its administrative hearing system, alleged that the Albion’s air conditioner units generated noise in excess of the city code’s regulations.

Per a city memo, Albion continues to deny that its property is the “proximate cause” of the alleged noise violations.

But the city and Albion have “undertaken extensive investigation into the source of the noise” and representatives from the development team proposed the specifics of the settlement with the hopes to resolve the dispute.

City Manager Ghida Neukirch during the June 29 meeting detailed the agreement to the Council, noting that Albion is proposing to construct a 12-foot tall, 100-foot long absorptive sound barrier system on the northern boundary line of its property, which borders the Mordini residence.

Several variations are required for Albion’s sound barrier system to move forward, but Highland Park’s City Council is expected to approve the needed zoning relief during its next meeting.

The agreement also states that Albion will provide the Mordinis $10,000 to be used toward the installation of plantings and landscaping intended to obscure the view of the sound barrier system from their property.

Additionally, Albion will also provide $65,000 for soundproofed and sound-mitigating windows to be installed at the Mordini home.

Neukirch thanked the Albion team for working with the city “very closely for several years” while adding that the final settlement agreement that appeared before the council last Monday night had already also been shared with the Mordinis.

“We believe that it is fair and represents the best interest of everyone involved,” Neukirch said.

Highland Park will formally dismiss the previous citations it had issued at the next available administrative hearing date following the formal execution of the agreement, the settlement reads.

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