Mettawa Costco plan far from settled -- but company still wants to come

The bitterness of a divisive election in tiny Mettawa has eased, but residents still wonder about the Costco store that was at the heart of the debate.

"Everybody wants to know, 'What is the status?'" said Mayor Jess Ray.

The short answer is that Costco remains committed to Mettawa, according to its Chairman Jeff Brotman.

But a separate issue - involving more than a mile of sewer line and other improvements to provide service to what is known as the Millineum property along Bradley Road - could impact how or when the plan might move forward.

"This is a complicated one," said Lake County Public Works Director Peter Kolb.

The store is proposed for a village-owned site at the Tri-State Tollway and Route 60, A few years ago, Millineum Maintenance Management Inc. wanted to build about three dozen homes in the area. At the time, it was envisioned as being serviced with a different type of sewer system, opposed by the county and village.

A lawsuit against them ensued and an agreed order settling the case was entered last fall.

"The alternative would have been 10 times worse," said Mettawa Trustee Larry Falbe.

The sewer line, which would run along Route 60 and beneath the Des Plaines River, is important because it brings service to a point that it can be extended to the village-owned site.

"Whatever commercial development is going to happen, it needs a sewer," Kolb said.

The agreed order decreased the number of homes and calls for the county to install the sewer. Millineum has to contribute $686,000 and the village more than $1 million toward the cost.

Mettawa already has submitted its payment. Millineum has until today to do so but last week asked for a 30-day extension, citing the pending resolution of a dispute involving the property.

In response, Mettawa has asked for its money back.

Meanwhile, the county has approved a contract of about $635,000 to build the project, an indication of a depressed building market.

"The cost came in quite a bit lower than we all expected," Kolb said

Will Millineum be granted an extension? If not, will the sewer project continue? What happens if it doesn't? Will the county keep all the money and use the difference for other things? Can the agreed order be changed?

"I'm still trying to figure out what it all means myself," Falbe said. "It's extremely complicated."

The village board is expected to discuss the situation Wednesday in a closed session.

Ray took the mayor's seat in a protracted race that had to be decided by a tally of absentee ballots weeks after the election. Ray campaigned against the store, even going so far as to file a lawsuit challenging the way the village obtained the land.

Although he has been replaced by another resident as a plaintiff in the suit against the village, that action and a second suit that could have implications for the land are pending in Lake County circuit court.

Costco has a contract to purchase the property but no closing has occurred.

In an e-mail response to the Daily Herald, Brotman said the company is pressing forward.

"We have no intention of withdrawing," he wrote. "Because of the litigation, I really can't say more."

Kolb said he will see what happens today and go from there.

"I'm going to ask for direction," he said. "People are watching this one."