With public letters of concern, a resignation and a village seemingly at odds with its school districts, the dispute over Mundelein’s proposed Ivanhoe development was on full display during Monday’s Village Board meeting.
The proposed massive development is a 700-acre project that would bring many thousands of residential units to Mundelein over more than two decades. The land has been owned by members of the Wirtz family for more than 150 years, and they are also the developers.
In previous board meetings and in public letters to parents, leaders of Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 and Fremont School District 79 have warned that the development could overwhelm the districts, requiring the construction of a new school, and they’re calling for additional financial support from the developers to help soften the impact.
Village leaders have said school impact fees are governed by state laws, and they don’t have the authority to increase them beyond what is allowed. Additionally, there’s disagreement about birthrate data analysis, with the developer and school districts predicting drastically different numbers that either make the project a financial windfall or disaster for the schools.
In a previous statement, a developer spokesperson said Ivanhoe Village is, “designed to be developed thoughtfully and gradually.”
“We are confident that this development will be a positive contributor to our local schools, and a benefit to the people of Mundelein for generations to come,” the spokesperson said.
But the districts have publicly voiced skepticism of the development’s viability as a whole, and called for slowing down the process until their concerns have been addressed.
District 79 Superintendent Trisha Kocanda said it has looked into detaching the land and giving it to other area school districts, meaning the district would collect any of the potential funds from the development, but also not risk “the district and our taxpayers bearing the burden of building a new school.”
On Monday, Shawn Killacky, a member of Mundelein’s Historical Commission, publicly resigned in protest over the village’s handling of the Ivanhoe Development. Killacky is also the board secretary for District 79.
“You disappointed me,” Killacky said to the Village Board and Mayor Steve Lentz, describing what he viewed as a failure by the village to include the school districts in early negotiations. “We don’t want our taxpayers, our community, our neighbors, to have to end up paying more for this bad situation … because the developer, the powerful family behind it and the village government have just become too selfish.”
Lentz questioned the districts’ birthrate analysis during the meeting, arguing they were using decades-old birthrate data. Kocanda said the districts have struggled to get data from the developers for verification throughout the discussion process.
District 120 Superintendent Kevin Meyer said he wants the negotiation process to continue, and to include safeguards for the districts.
Kocanda said the districts want “to work with our village … collaboratively,” but it’s been frustratingly difficult “for the village to come to the table with us and have these conversations.”
Negotiations with the developer are ongoing, Lentz said. He said he was committed to “getting the legal maximum that we can require, in addition to … trying to get more compensation or more funds as well.”
In response to Killacky’s resignation, Lentz expressed his respect and thanked Killacky for his years of service to the village.
“His absence will be a loss for the Historical Commission for sure,” he said.
Lentz said he appreciated the “passion” from residents, but noted the conflict between the village and the districts was unlike any he’d seen in more than a decade. “It breaks my heart,” he said.
“No one likes to see it like this,” Lentz said. “I speak from my heart. I wish our institutions, the schools and the village, didn’t have this disunity, and I’m hopeful that a relationship can be restored back to where it should be.”
