Costco, Lake Forest Part Ways
Posted on: Monday, 22 August 2005, 21:00 CDT
After fighting for nine months, Costco Wholesale Corp. raised a white flag Thursday night in Lake Forest.
Costco officially withdrew its controversial plan to build a warehouse store on 40 acres bordering the Lake County Forest Preserve District's 576-acre Middlefork Savanna, just east of the Tri-State Tollway and Route 60.
In a related move, Lake Forest Mayor S. Michael Rummel announced the city and three unnamed corporations plan to pay a combined $5.7 million for a chunk of the property originally pegged for Costco.
Lake Forest would build a new municipal services building on a section of land to be determined with the corporations keeping 6 acres. Officials said the 40-acre Costco site could not support a municipal services operation and the discount warehouse because of the property's environmental sensitivity, so the city building prevailed.
Moreover, the forest district intends to seek up to 25 acres that could cost $1.5 million in conjunction with a conservation effort led by the private Lake Forest Open Lands Association. The district's executive director, Tom Hahn, said an agreement might come up for a vote by the forest board in the fall.
Rummel complemented Costco for its dealings with Lake Forest. Costco went through 12 meetings with the city's advisory plan commission since September.
"We have nothing but the highest regard for Costco," Rummel told about 100 spectators in city hall who were prepared to criticize the proposal.
Costco Chairman Jeff Brotman said in a statement he was disappointed by the outcome in Lake Forest but understood.
"We knew going in that a municipal services facility was an instrumental part of our development proposal," Brotman said. "The city treated us fairly and openly and we are grateful for their considerations."
Environmentalists, the forest district, the Chicago Bears and several Lake Forest residents ripped Costco's plans during plan commission meetings. Costco would have been near the Bears' training camp in Conway Park.
Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.
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