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Midlane, Lakehurst before Waukegan council tonight Both projects recommended: Judiciary Committee to convene, debate at 5:30
NEWS SUN STAFF WRITER WAUKEGAN — The future of Lakehurst Mall and the development of open space around Midlane Golf Resort are among the issues facing a busy City Council tonight, while officials also prepare for separate news conferences this week regarding casino gambling and the city's rental-property inspection ordinance. After the council postponed its regular meeting for one day due to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Judiciary Committee will gather one hour earlier than normally scheduled today due to what officials described as "the debatable agenda items" on the docket. These are the two primary issues on the agenda when the committee convenes at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall:
That development, which would be constructed on 64.2 acres southwest of York House and Delany roads, has been under negotiation since last summer when it first came forward as a 409-unit project. Since then, the Waukegan Development Commission recommended it by a 5-3 vote and the project has stalled as city engineers negotiate infrastructure and environmental impacts with the developers. Several residents in the adjoining Midlane Estates and Links at Midlane subdivisions have spoken out against the plan, citing concerns that included increased traffic and stormwater runoff. In a memo to aldermen, plat administrator John Jurkovac wrote that "a number of issues must be resolved prior to approval of this project."
Shaw Development Co. is slated to present its plans for Fountain Square of Waukegan, a mix of commercial, retail and office buildings on 88 acres of the current Lakehurst complex. The group essentially is requesting a plat of resubdivision that will smooth the path for developers to build within the property. The primary objectors to the Shaw plan have been representatives of Martin Tuohy & Associates, the Libertyville-based group that fronted the University Station concept for the Lakehurst site. At two Development Commission meetings, Tuohy and his backers requested that their plan remain an option as the Shaw proposal proceeds. But city officials recently received a letter late last month from Cleveland-based Jacobs Group stating that Tuohy "could not be considered" a player in the future of Lakehurst. "(The Jacobs Group) has no interest in entering into any future agreement with Mr. Tuohy or persons proposing Mr. Tuohy's redevelopment plan for the property," the letter states, "as we no longer have confidence in the feasibility of Mr. Tuohy's plan or his ability to finance either the purchase of the property or the implementation of his plan." Jacobs officials added, "We have great confidence in the ability of the Shaw company to close on the pending purchase agreement and to successfully redevelop Lakehurst to the mutual advantage of the city and surrounding properties." One of the surrounding properties is a 32-acre parcel on the mall's south end, which is being eyed by the city for a use that has yet to be publicly specified. But one possible use should become clearer at a news conference scheduled this morning in Lakehurst's shuttered J.C. Penny building to propose a land-based casino for the property. Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde has been vocal in his bid to bring casino gambling to the city, eyeing the license being vacated by Emerald Casino Inc. Developer Alan Ludwig, charged by the city with pursuing a license, said last year that he had been in talks with MGM Mirage, Park Place Entertainment, Harrah's Entertainment, Mandalay Resort Group and Boyd Gaming about joining the bid to bring gaming to Waukegan. Owners of the city's rental properties will likely monitor events on Wednesday, when the city conducts a news conference on the status of the controversial rental property inspection ordinance. That ordinance, enacted last year as a means of monitoring housing standards, calls for annual inspections of all rental units. It has been decried by the Lake County Apartment Owners Association and the Fair Housing Center of Lake County as a violation of tenant privacy, and attorneys from both sides of the debate have been in ongoing discussions. 01/21/03 |
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Following several delays for continued
talks between city planning staffers and officials with Midlane Development, the
proposed 344-unit Greens at Midlane subdivision is again scheduled for committee
review.