East Dundee postpones Torco development project

The East Dundee village board has delayed approving an annexation agreement with a group interested in developing the Torco property because the village has not yet secured a piece of land adjacent to it on Route 25.

The village is still in the midst of negotiations with the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, which owns a sliver of land between the Torco property and the village limits in unincorporated Kane County.

Legally, East Dundee can jump over the McGraw property and annex the Torco land that once housed a Cadillac dealership. But East Dundee wants the McGraw property for a continuous boundary into the village before it annexes the Torco land.

Jim and Dan Nagle of Pima Illinois LLC are interested in building an indoor sports complex and turning a building on the Torco site into a banquet hall. Their plan has been met with opposition from three residents of the nearby Fox River Bluffs neighborhood, who fear the facilities will disrupt their country living.

Meanwhile, the village's patience with the foundation is wearing thin, as talks have dragged on longer than a year.

But in the interest of being thorough, Village President Jerald Bartels is open to meeting with McGraw representatives one last time before the village considers whether to annex the Torco property.

“No one can say we didn't try,” Bartels said.

East Dundee is due to meet with McGraw representatives later on this month.