Breaking up is hard to do. But Hazel Crest could help the Calumet Country Club’s new owners pick up the pieces with a redevelopment and annexation plan.
Mayor Vernard Alsberry said no formal request has been made for the land just west of his village’s town line, but he is waiting for an official annexation proposal, the Daily Southtown reported. The 130-acre property, located at 2136 175th Street in unincorporated Cook County, separated from the village of Homewood in April 2021.
Arizona-based Diversified Partners spent $3.3 million for the golf course in 2020. Diversified broke it off with Homewood after village officials rejected plans to redevelop the property into an 800,000-square-foot warehouse facility. Residents were outraged by the potential impacts of increased traffic and lower property values.
Grassroots organization South Suburbs for Greenspace released documents that show Hazel Crest is considering a redevelopment plan that could include a hotel, water park, warehouses or retail space.
Alsberry said village officials have been in discussions with Catalyst Consulting, which is pitching a mixed-use development without a large collection of warehouses — a point of importance for Alsberry, who suggested he doesn’t want trucks moving in and out of the village.
A development the size Catalyst is proposing would need to secure water and sewer connections from the Hazel Crest. Critics cite this as being one reason the property isn’t ideal for redevelopment.
Village attorney John Murphey said the property owners will likely request a tax increment financing (TIF) district, a long process that would involve the village hiring outside consultants first. The village could be reimbursed by the developer for the costs related to the TIF, according to Murphey.
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Chicago
Carpentersville locals oppose U.S. Capital Development warehouse plans
— Victoria Pruitt