‘A very busy summer’: Extensive improvements ahead for Bangs Lake marina
Four years after buying a marina on Bangs Lake, the Wauconda Park District's master vision for the property fronting Route 176 is primed to take shape.
“It’s going to be a very busy summer,” said Tim Staton, the park district’s executive director.
Improvements to the former Wauconda Boat property will start next month with the demolition of the three buildings closest to Route 176.
Removal of what is known as the sign shop immediately adjacent to the road, as well as a six-unit apartment building and an old house with an attached apartment, will open a vista on the south end of Bangs Lake that has been obscured for decades.
A maintenance building and bait shop will remain.
The work is among several elements of a master plan to improve the overall appearance and functionality of the property, add amenities and improve public access to the marina and lakefront.
The village’s advisory zoning board of appeals/plan commission on Jan. 7 unanimously recommended approvals for a planned development of the marina property and the village board made it official Jan. 20.
Curbs, paving and widening of the access drive to better delineate the entrance and additional parking are among the other improvements.
Other planned amenities include a picnic shelter, retaining walls, a boardwalk along the lake, an ADA accessible kayak and canoe launch, fishing station, bags court, bench swing, game tables on an upper level, sunning steps, pathway connections and more.
Landscaping work will “radically improve the appearance” of the site, add shade and stormwater capacity, and slow runoff to the lake, according to a village staff report.
Wauconda Boat operated for more than 40 years. Owner C.E.T. Commercial Development offered to sell the property to the park district rather than a private entity, which could have resulted in residential development.
The park district board believed C.E.T. had the community’s long-term interest in mind and bought the 4.4 acres for $1.7 million, taking ownership in February 2022.
The holdings include three boat piers and 120 slips. Revenue from boat and slip rentals, gasoline sales and other sources is being used to pay off debt created to finance the purchase.
“We purchased the property as an opportunity to have a revenue-generating facility that will help put money back into our capital program,” Staton said. “We’ve been operating it as a marina the last three seasons.”
District crews replaced the pier planking in advance of the $2.5 million site redevelopment. The district received a state $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant for the project.
The marina project is the second by the district in recent years to open Bangs Lake frontage for public use. The district bought the Phil's Beach property on the southwestern shore in 2016 and reopened in July 2020, after a $3 million renovation.