St. Michael cemetery annexed to Palatine

St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery and Mausoleum was annexed to Palatine on Monday, a move that adds about 350 acres of mostly green space to the village and has possible long-term development opportunities, officials said.

The property at 1185 W. Algonquin Road is on the southeast corner of Algonquin and Roselle Road, directly south of Harper College. The land was in unincorporated Cook County and is now part of Palatine's District 2.

The cemetery was consecrated in 1958 and is part of the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Cemeteries. Palatine was approached about annexation, but other options were Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, Village Manager Reid Ottesen said.

"This is a big win," Mayor Jim Schwantz said Monday night, when the village council approved the move unanimously. "I don't think people realize that 300 acres doesn't come around very often."

Manny Gonzales, communications and public relations director for the Archdiocese of Chicago, said there are several benefits to the annexation of the property, which he said totals about 350 acres.

The property will be able to connect to the village's water system, which is more reliable, provides better fire protection and doesn't have the high concentrations of iron and minerals present in the current well water, Gonzales said. The property also will be able to connect to the village's sanitary sewer system, which doesn't have the maintenance requirements of the current private septic system, he said.

The village's five-year capital plan includes an extension of water service along Algonquin Road to fully loop the Harper campus, and the cemetery would connect to that when it's built, Ottesen said.

Gonzales also said Palatine's police and fire departments are expected to provide efficient services, while Cook County's response times can vary.

Gonzales said the mausoleum occupies 4 to 5 acres, and the cemetery includes 100 acres of development and undeveloped land. The remainder is 150 acres of farmland and 100 acres leased for 100 years to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, he said. A portion is taxed as agricultural property, which will bring revenue to the village, Gonzales said. Ottesen said he didn't have an immediate estimate of that revenue.

The property extends south all the way to the frontage road along I-90, just east of Medieval Times in Schaumburg. Based on future village growth and the wishes of the property owners, the land might present opportunities for long-term development, maybe in four or five decades, Ottesen said.

Gonzales said the plan is to use vacant land for future cemetery use.

"There are some areas we would consider leasing, but we are unable to do anything with the portion of the property that is under lease by MWRD," he said.