State legislators say they will ‘untie the hands’ of Mundelein officials for Ivanhoe Village school impact
Mundelein-area school districts again are urging officials to slow the process involving the proposed Ivanhoe Village mega-development in light of pending turnover on the village board and word from state lawmakers about legislation they plan to introduce.
State Sens. Adrian Johnson and Mary Edly-Allen and state Reps. Dan Didech and Laura Faver Dias in a letter Thursday to Mayor-elect Robin Meier said they will be introducing legislation to “untie your hands and empower the village to secure the resources necessary to support our schools.”
That was a reference to Mayor Steve Lentz’s contention the village was limited by state law and could not require the developer to pay fees to cover school construction costs or operational expenses.
“As legislators, we are committed to ensuring that the state of Illinois does not stand in the way of your ability to be responsive to the community's needs,” according to the letter linked in a community update by Fremont School District 79 and Mundelein High School District 120.
The districts say an influx of new students will overwhelm services and facilities.
Negotiation sessions between the school districts and Wirtz Realty Corporation to assess future needs have been held but the schools have said offers to bridge the money gap have been woefully short.
Ivanhoe Village encompasses about 772 acres generally south and east of Peterson Road and Route 60 on Mundelein’s northwest side. The Wirtz family, known for its ownership of the Chicago Blackhawks and other businesses, began assembling land in the area 165 years ago.
Mundelein annexed the property in late 2022. As planned it would be developed over 25 years with 3,200 units of various housing types, shops, athletic fields, a village center, light industrial buildings and other elements.
Village officials have been considering enacting a general impact fee ordinance to be imposed on any future development as well as a specific agreement for Ivanhoe Village but no official action has been taken.
In the interim, the schools and Wirtz have disagreed on the actual impact and how much will be needed to address it and began airing their differences publicly.
In mid-March, District 79 informed Lentz it was contacting neighboring elementary school districts regarding potential interest in annexing 900-plus acres of Wirtz property. If successful, the district said, it would relieve taxpayers of the “unsustainable financial burden” of dealing with enrollment growth.
No responses have been received but the districts again are urging residents to contact the village board and ask them to delay action to let the legislative process play out.
“Now is the time for the village of Mundelein to commit to its desire to unify our community by supporting this new legislation and pausing action on impact fees,” according to the community update from the school districts.
A spokesperson for Wirtz Realty declined to comment.