Gurnee gives early approval to developer

Tighter loan requirements were cited as a reason developers wanted Gurnee village board members to prematurely grant final approval for a 58-home project.

Plans call for clusters of single-family homes to be built on 25 acres northeast of Washington Street and Hunt Club Road. Hunt Club Development is fronting the project in conjunction with a residential builder.

Andrew Scott, an attorney for Hunt Club Development, asked the village to grant an early final approval because that's what the intended home builder needs to acquire financing. Village officials said the builder won't spend money on the necessary plans until financing is secured.

Final paperwork must be submitted to the village for what's been dubbed Courts of Hunt Club before construction can start.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik tried to assure village board trustees at a recent meeting that work will not start prematurely on Courts of Hunt Club.

"I'm not signing anything and we'll vote on this again when we get everything," Kovarik told the trustees.

Village attorney Bryan Winter cited the subprime mortgage crisis as a reason why the early final approval was demanded from the development team.

"I think the pendulum has swung so far with the financial institutions," Winter said.

Winter said the premature final approval will not enable the developers to build a different project. He said the village is at little risk.

Trustees voted 4-2 in favor of the early final approval for Courts of Hunt Club. Trustees David Ohanian and Greg Garner dissented.