Mooseheart annexation pact nearing finish

Batavia officials are close to putting an annexation agreement for the proposed Mooseheart development up for a city council vote.

One topic yet to be worked out, however, concerns a 47-acre parcel in the middle, near Mill Creek, slated to be set aside as open space.

Some Batavia residents, including Batavia Plan Commission Vice Chairman Karen Kosky, want to make sure that parcel remains as open space and isn’t turned into baseball fields, basketball courts or other “active” parks. They would like the woods, wetlands and flood plains, which are near Mill Creek and Moose Lake, to remain in a natural state, and have suggested the city require a conservation easement for the land.

Kosky, who works as a watershed engineer for Kane County, also has said such an easement would also help protect the quality of water in Mill Creek.

The developers hired by Moose International say, however, that their client is loathe to permanently give up rights to that land, including the right to sell it to a third party. They are willing, however, to limit use to bicycle and walking trails, benches and scenic overlooks. And they are willing to give the right of first refusal to the city of Batavia to purchase the land, should Moose International ever decide to sell the acreage.

Moose International is proposing commercial and residential development of 470 acres of its site along the east side of Randall Road, from Mooseheart Road to Main Street, and a parcel near the northwest corner of Randall and Orchard Road. The fraternal organization runs Mooseheart Child City and School.

The community development committee will discuss the matter at 7:30 p.m. July 12 at the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave.

A public hearing on the proposed agreement is scheduled for the city council meeting at 7:30 p.m. July 18.

Approval of the agreement is different from actually annexing the land. It sets forth the terms under which the city would agree to annex the land.

The proposed agreement may be seen on the city’s website, cityofbatavia.net, under the heading “Mooseheart Project.”

The development committee has a full agenda Tuesday, including a presentation on a proposed new Walgreens store for Batavia Plaza and discussion of the streetscape project.