Villa Olivia vote delayed until October

Elgin's plan commission will wait until October to vote on a controversial housing proposal for the Villa Olivia Country Club property in Bartlett.

Plan commission members Monday night wrapped up a public hearing on the 375-unit proposal, but delayed any decision while they wait to see a fiscal impact study.

The development plan calls for 279 townhouses, 96 houses and possibly a restaurant, banquet hall, bank, drug store and other businesses on the golf course property.

Elgin city staff members have recommended approval of the development.

But the proposal has been a hot-button issue in Elgin, in part because the property lies within Bartlett -- where village leaders oppose the development.

Bartlett officials are now fighting the property owners in Cook County circuit court over a special covenant that requires the land remain a golf course until 2022.

Bartlett Village Attorney Bryan Mraz said Monday that Elgin's decision to move forward on the development is "an affront to the village of Bartlett."

Litigation will take at least another couple of years, Mraz said, and if the court rules in Bartlett's favor, Elgin would have to wait 15 years before developing the land.

"I'm convinced that the village will win that lawsuit on all issues," he said. "Surely Elgin would not want to be locked into an approval where three-fourths of the proposed development can not be built for 15 years."

Neighbors of the proposed development -- who live in both Bartlett and Elgin -- have also asked the plan commission to delay its decision until the legal issues are resolved.

"(Developer) Ryland has not done their homework," said Andrea Evensen, representing the area's ad hoc homeowners association. "They are asking you for a blank check."

But Peter Bazos, an attorney representing the developer, said the proposal would be a boon to the area.

"These projects are well-designed and constitute the highest and best use of the land," Bazos said.