Lake Zurich candidates clash over village-owned land

How the village's downtown should be developed is among the issues dividing candidates vying for Lake Zurich village president and three open board seats.

A village president candidate and two trustee candidates who, for the most part, oppose the village's current leadership, each criticized a board decision to earmark $200,000 to improve a vacant 85,819-square-foot parcel of village-owned land near the intersection of Main and Lake streets known as Block A, which has been on the market for years.

In endorsement interviews with the Daily Herald editorial board, Jeff Halan, who is seeking to unseat incumbent village president Tom Poynton, said he struggled to understand the rationale.

"Two hundred thousand dollars is a rather large investment for an area that a developer could come in and then actually rip up," Halan said, adding that a better idea would be to throw down some grass seed.

Block A is one of several village-owned parcels in the downtown area purchased years ago.

The village spent about $16 million on property, hoping officials could more successfully market the parcels for redevelopment than the sites' owners.

Assistant to the village manager Kyle Kordell said during a budget workshop meeting in November there was consensus for the idea of including $200,000 to enhance Block A into something more than it is now, describing the semi-paved lot as a place to park. Kordell said there is nothing specific planned right now.

"There's a decent chance this enhancement project may not even occur this year," Kordell said.

Kordell said if the money does end up being spent it will be to make Block A more fun and usable to the community, perhaps by adding a small plaza gathering space, courtyard area or a walking path around the property.

Poynton, who is vying for his third term as village president, said the $200,000 earmarked for Block A has yet to be discussed seriously by the board.

"If the board thinks it's not a good spend then it won't be spent," Poynton said.

Poynton is running on a slate that includes incumbent board members Greg Weider and Mary Beth Euker as well as newcomer Dan Bobrowski. Each member of the slate praised the efforts of the board and village staff to encourage developers to buy and build on village land downtown.

"I feel like we're on the cusp of great things happening," said Euker.

He said Block A may be a bit messy now because of winter, but it's one of the nicest lots in Lake Zurich. "It's essentially lakefront property," Euker said.

Bobrowski said he thinks current leaders have done a nice job beautifying downtown.

"There's challenges but I think there's momentum going in the right way," he said.

Eric Dubiel, a newcomer who is seeking a village board seat, and Michael Paulus Jr., who has run for the board previously and will try again this year as a write-in candidate, said they were against the idea of spending at the site. Dubiel said spending $200,000 on Block A would be a waste because a developer would throw away the improvements.

Paulus said he would rather spend $200,000 to expand parking by Sunset Pavillion, a $157,000 beer garden mostly paid for by the developer of the nearby Somerset by the Lake luxury rental community.

"It's been very successful, it's been very great for the village," Paulus said. "That parking lot has been undersized since day one."

Somerset by the Lake is built on property that used to be village-owned land called Block C.