Courts ruling may kill Villa Olivia plan
A court ruling that upholds a covenant preserving open space at the 139-acre Villa Oliva Golf Course until 2022 has cast a long shadow of doubt on plans to build homes there and have the land annexed by the city of Elgin.
The appellate panel ruled recently that the golf course could disconnect from the village of Bartlett, but 96 acres of it must be preserved as a golf course or open space for the next 13 years.
Last November, Elgin city leaders gave the green light to a Ryland Homes plan to erect 96 single-family homes and 246 townhouses and develop 12 acres as commercial property.
Matt Pagoria, Ryland vice president of land acquisitions, said the owners, the Corrado family, have the option of bringing a new or altered plan before Elgin. "We are no longer under contract on that property," Pagoria said.
Peter Bazos, an attorney who represents Ryland and the Corrado family, said the ruling is "problematic" for Ryland.
"If the decision stands, Ryland won't be able to build the project on the part the covenant affects," he said, adding the family has not decided what to do next.
Elgin Mayor Ed Schock said he hoped for a different ruling, but was not surprised by it. Schock noted that the housing and commercial markets were much stronger when the Villa Olivia plan was first presented several years ago.
He noted there are areas of the plan - both commercial and residential - that could be developed right now, despite the curt ruling. But with economy the way it is now, along with a large stock of empty home sites in subdivisions under construction, there's really no urgency for Ryland or the Corrado family to act immediately, Schock said.
"I'd say it's in limbo. So much depends on the external environment, which we don't control," Schock said. "We'll just sit and wait. It's like that with all development right now, controversial or not."
In a prepared statement, Bartlett Village President Michael Kelly said the ruling "is a long-fought victory for Bartlett and its residents that live in homes surrounding the golf course ensuring that open space will continue to be preserved until the covenant expires."