Wauconda to review boundary agreement with neighbors

Wauconda officials will review their boundary pacts with neighboring communities to see where things stand 20 years later.

The village is among six towns covered by a boundary agreement enacted in 1993 and set to expire in November.

“The board wanted to review it and see where we're at,” said Chris Miller, Wauconda's director of planning and zoning. “I've only glanced at it myself. It addresses unincorporated areas.”

Besides Wauconda, the agreement encompasses North Barrington, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, Island Lake and Port Barrington, Miller said.

Discussion of the boundary agreement is scheduled Thursday during a joint meeting of the village board's economic development and building and zoning committees, beginning at 5 p.m. at the building and zoning department conference room, 109 W. Bangs St.

Mayor Mark Knigge said the initial focus will be on Tower Lakes, as that village is the only community to raise the issue so far.

He said he was contacted by his counterpart there, Kathleen Leitner.

According to Knigge, land on Route 59 near the Route 12 interchange has common interest to both communities.

The White property had been considered for development of a gas station and mini mart but the project never materialized.

The owner, who recently died, had considered developing within the county, but that was not economically feasible, Knigge said. The alternative was to annex to Wauconda, which could provide municipal utility service, he added.

“Because of the boundary agreement, if that development came to fruition, we would have had to give them (Tower Lakes) some type of compensation,” Knigge said.

Discussion is preliminary, he added, but is appropriate as there could be consideration of developing the property in the future.

Eventually, all the communities will be reviewing the boundary agreement.

“It's not contentious at all, it's just something we have to revisit to see how it fits in ours and their future planning,” Knigge said.