Batavia approves Moose annexation parameters
The Batavia City Council Monday agreed to terms under which more than 470 acres of Moose International land could join the city.
The council approved an annexation agreement in a 12-2 vote. Aldermen Lucy Thelin Atac and James Volk voted against it.
Volk voted against it for several reasons. He said did not like that the agreement did not spell out specifically the number of nor size of buildings. The amount the Moose will be required to pay for electrical-system upgrades is capped, which could leave Batavia electrical customers with the rest of the unknown bill; he wonders whether future developers will want to stick to the concepts; and he doesn’t think it contained adequate conservation protection for a 50-acre open-space parcel and Mill Creek.
“We have now the most leverage we will ever have,” he said, suggesting the council adopt a “memorandum of understanding” instead.
The 151-page agreement spells out what kind of buildings can be built on eight parcels; who will pay what for installing utilities; and what land or money will be given to school and park districts.
The land is located between Main Street and Mooseheart Road, plus a parcel on the northwest corner of Orchard and Randall roads. It lies between North Aurora and Batavia.
Moose International needs to annex the land to a town with a sanitary sewage treatment plant, or to a sanitary sewage district, if it wants to develop the land, which is now used for farming. The Moose have a sewage treatment plant that serves the eastern half of their campus, including Mooseheart Child City and School, but that plant could not handle what Moose International anticipates building.
If the Moose go ahead with their plans, part of the site would be served by the city of Batavia plant; the southern portion would be served by the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District.
The Moose hired Burnham Development Group to come up with the concepts for development. The fraternal organization does not intend to sell the land, but to lease it to developers.
The agreement, which expires in 20 years, designates where residences, stores, offices, parks, hotels, theaters and restaurants could be located.
A copy of the agreement is available on the city’s website, cityofbatavia.net.