Path clear for Costco in Mettawa

The path has been cleared for a Costco store in tiny Mettawa.

A lawsuit against the village was settled Thursday, ending a bitter battle that divided residents and prompted a rare contested election last spring.

That action, combined with the dismissal late last year of a second suit regarding village-owned property at Route 60 and the Tri-State Tollway, resolves outstanding issues and allows Costco to proceed.

"The resolution of these lawsuits concludes a nearly two-year, emotionally charged debate in the village regarding use of village lands for a Costco store," Mayor Jess Ray said in a release e-mailed Thursday evening to residents.

Costco anticipates opening in November. The store is expected to generate $1 million a year in sales tax revenue for the village.

Terms of the settlement were not released, and Ray was not immediately available Thursday night to discuss the news.

Ray found himself in an unusual spot last April when he narrowly defeated longtime Mayor Barry MacLean after a bitter campaign and one of the few contested elections since the rural village was established in 1959.

As the plaintiff in one of the suits, Ray as mayor in effect was suing himself, challenging what he considered deceptive and secretive dealings regarding the property under the previous administration.

He was replaced in the lawsuit by another resident. Additional legal counsel was hired to review the lawsuits as well a previously signed contract with Costco after Ray took office.

"It was determined following this review that portions of the existing Costco contract should be renegotiated to give the village a more positive outcome," if a closing were to occur, according to the release.

Those talks resulted in "improved contract terms for the village and its residents," the release said.

It continued that "several concessions" were reached which will "better protect" residents while clearing the way for the sales contract to proceed.

"While nearly half of our residents were opposed to additional commercial development in Mettawa and strongly disagreed with the way the 22-acre land parcel had been previously managed, the village had to deal with the duality of a previously signed sales contract with Costco while achieving the best possible outcome for village residents," Ray is quoted as saying in the release.

"I believe we have reached a balanced conclusion."