Mettawa at war over proposed Costco

Normally, there is little to disturb the peace in tiny Mettawa, a well-to-do community whose inhabitants consider it an oasis and are protective of its rural atmosphere.

But residents lately have begun making a lot of noise regarding a "serious offer" to purchase 22 acres of village-owned property south of Route 60, between Riverwoods Road and the Tri-State Tollway, for a Costco store.

Village officials say the $1 million or more in annual sales tax would fund the purchase of open space elsewhere, complete the village's trail system and contribute to the current property tax rebate program.

But there still are steps that would need to be taken for anything to be built there, and some residents and other interests are questioning the village board's methods, as well as traffic and other impacts of a big box store.

A Web site with a message board, a lawsuit and even a cartoon illustrate the general distrust of village board motives. There is already talk of heading to the polls next spring to vote against incumbents.

Jesse Ray, a retired marketing expert who lives about a quarter-mile from the site, is leading the resident charge.

Nearly 100 residents had planned to attend a village board meeting last Monday, but it was canceled. Instead, the group held its own town hall session at St. Basil Serbian Orthodox Church, which doubles as the board's meeting hall.

"It's not Costco that we're fighting. It is the village that we're fighting and the way they're doing it," Ray said.

He said he has contacted the FBI to investigate alleged fraud. And last week, he filed a complaint in the 19th Circuit Court against Mettawa. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that village officials said they were acquiring the land for a park or open space, but actually intended to "flip" it to a developer.

"This was done in order to keep the just compensation below the fair cash market value," the suit alleges.

Although the village has been acquiring the land for more than a decade, the swell of protest didn't take shape until a few weeks ago, when equipment was spotted clearing trees on the land.

The trigger for the Costco proposal was the recent resolution of a dispute regarding sewer service to an unrelated residential development. After more than a year of debate, all parties, including the village, homebuilder and county recently reached an agreement. As a result, sewer service also will become available to the village's 22 acres.

"We had no sewer or water to handle the facility so this wasn't an issue," said Trustee Jack Tindall. He declined to discuss other matters regarding the property, saying a lengthy letter dated Sept. 6 from Mayor Barry MacLean summarized the village's position.

The letter mentioned Costco's interest and the potential $1 million annual sales tax windfall. But it also detailed why some commercial development in the village was necessary and served as a foundation "for the lifestyle we cherish, enjoy and wish to preserve."

MacLean was unavailable for comment.

With about 400 residents, Mettawa is largely rural and has no village hall. Meeting notices literally are posted on telephone poles and information is difficult to come by, according to Ray.

He asserted there has been a "lack of transparency" among village officials, who are not representing the points of views of residents.

"Not only is it Costco, but people are unhappy with their perception that the village board was trying to do this on the QT," said Trustee Larry Falbe, whose objection over a recent contract to clear the land was dismissed by all but one other board member.

Falbe has been on the board only six months or so. While he said he agreed it was a wise move for the village to buy the land to control what happens, he wanted to get resident opinions.

"They shouldn't have cut down the trees without asking them," he said. "They do need to be consulted before we go any further."

The village board will review whatever development plan is presented and then vote on an ordinance authorizing the sale of the property based on the plan. The next village board meeting had not been scheduled.