‘We’ve been looking to do this for some time’: Lake County Housing Authority gets access to Lake Zurich water, sewer
2.6-acre property would remain outside village zoning jurisdiction
Municipal sewer and water will be made available to an unincorporated property just outside Lake Zurich, most recently the proposed site of an affordable rental project.
The village board Monday approved an agreement with the Lake County Housing Authority allowing the agency to connect 2.6 acres it owns at Midlothian Road and North Lakewood Lane. The agreement is valid until July 1, 2029.
Replacing the current well and septic service with public water and sewer would improve health and safety and facilitate the agency’s options for future reuse or redevelopment, according to a village summary.
“We've been looking to do this for some time,” said Lorraine Hocker, executive director/CEO of the housing authority. “We’re excited we’re able to get this done.”
A building on the property, formerly known as Midlothian Manor, is used as office space for the agency’s housing counseling department as well as community workshops and classes, Hocker said.
The housing authority bought and developed the property in 2001 as an assisted living/supportive housing facility. It was closed in 2010 and the property left vacant except for the recent office use.
Hocker said there are no immediate plans for the site.
Skokie-based Housing Opportunity Development Corporation wanted to annex the property at the southwest corner of the intersection and have it zoned for multifamily residential.
The nonprofit’s plan was to buy the existing building from the housing authority, raze it and build a two-story, 24-unit building with rents affordable to households earning between $20,000 and $40,000 per year.
Neighbors in the residential area mobilized in opposition saying the property wasn’t the right place for such a development, citing a lack of public transportation and other concerns.
In January, Housing Opportunity Development Corporation withdrew the application before it reached the village board for consideration.
Whether the agency has abandoned the idea in that location or will pursue approvals in Lake County’s jurisdiction is unknown.
Even after the property is connected to municipal water and sewer, it would remain outside village jurisdiction and subject to county zoning and development guidelines.
The housing authority will be required to pay connection and user fees at nonresident rates when it connects. It also would pay any additional connection fees due when Lake Michigan water is extended to the village.