Bloomingdale to buy Indian Lakes, leave it as open space
Bloomingdale plans to purchase a former golf course at Indian Lakes Resort to protect it from development.
Trustees this week unanimously approved a letter declaring the village's intent to buy the roughly 188-acre former golf course as well as 15.4 acres along the south side of Schick Road between Country Club and Cardinal drives. The $8 million deal doesn't include the resort's hotel and conference center buildings.
Village President Franco Coladipietro said he wants to close on the land as soon as possible.
"I am happy for the residents of the village of Bloomingdale," Coladipietro said Wednesday. "This is one of those purchases that is going to benefit the community and future generations to come."
Indian Lakes officials closed the 27-hole golf course in late 2016. Over the past several years, a significant number of residents have reached out to village officials to express their desire to see the golf course remain as open space, Coladipietro said.
Meanwhile, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness about the need for open space and outdoor recreational areas.
"The preservation of this open space will enhance the environmental quality of our neighborhoods and provide significant stormwater benefits," Coladipietro said in a Facebook post, which had received nearly 100 positive comments by Wednesday afternoon.
The planned purchase comes nearly a year after First ILR LLC - which owns Indian Lakes - and K. Hovnanian Homes scrapped a proposal to build hundreds of houses on the shuttered golf course.
That proposed development drew strong opposition from residents.
In spring 2019, large crowds attended three public hearings about the proposal to build 535 ranch houses. The first hearing drew more than 700 people, and nearly everyone who spoke to the planning and zoning commission voiced opposition.
Even commissioners raised concerns about potential flooding, increased traffic, decreased property values and the removal of more than 1,000 high-quality trees.
Coladipietro said residents during those hearings spoke "pretty loud and clear" about what they wanted.
"The overwhelming majority of people wanted that land to remain open space and a recreation area," he said.
Last fall, First ILR tried to find other buyers for the property, including the village. But the asking price was too high for Bloomingdale to make an offer at that time.
Over the past three weeks, the village and First ILR were "finally able to reach a price we thought was fair for both parties," Coladipietro said.
In addition to the golf course, the village will get a second parcel that includes a large parking lot and detention pond.
Coladipietro said Bloomingdale has the financial ability to raise the $8 million for the land. "We have very low debt at the village," he said.
Still, village officials will try to seek grant money to help with the cost.
Once the land is acquired, Coladipietro said, the village's top priority will be to properly maintain it. For example, he said, the parcel along Schick is overgrown with weeds.
"We want to get that cleaned up," he said.
In addition, officials will solicit community input on the future use of the land.
The new parcels will join a neighboring 34.4 acres already owned by the village.
Bloomingdale bought the southernmost part of the resort in 2007 to preserve it as open space. The plan is to transform that site - located between Meadowlark Road and Cardinal Drive - into a passive park with a trail, landscaping, parking lot and several ponds to help alleviate flooding.