The Woodfield Business Center subdivision was recorded in 1979. A Declaration of Protective Covenants was also created and recorded in 1979 to provide for the maintenance of the water detention area and park located at the southwest corner of Remington Road and Basswood Drive. The Declaration required the creation of an owners association, which had the power and responsibility to levy annual assessments to provide for the maintenance of the detention pond and park area.
It came to the village's attention in 2012 that the association had been dissolved earlier that year and the property had been abandoned. As a result, the village has been performing maintenance of the park area since that time. In addition to mowing the area, the village has removed hazardous trees and branches and cleaned debris from time to time.
After initial unsuccessful code enforcement efforts, the village attempted to engage with the property owners to encourage and facilitate the re-establishment of the association. This included joint informational meetings with Economic Development, Code Enforcement, and village legal counsel. Following unsuccessful attempts to facilitate re-establishment of the association, the village filed a lawsuit in 2018 to request that the property be placed in receivership and that a receiver be appointed to manage the maintenance, which would be the financial responsibility of the property owners. Ultimately, the judge ruled in 2020 that the property could not be placed in receivership since the property owners didn't have an "ownership interest" in the property.
The village proceeded in 2021 to pursue ownership of the property through the Cook County "no cash bid" program. This program has several steps and was placed on hold during the C-19 pandemic. The village obtained the deed to the property in spring 2024. Staff presented this item at the June, 2024 Planning, Building, and Development Committee to seek direction from the Village Board to take necessary steps to create a Special Service Area (SSA) that will require the property owners within the Woodfield Business Center to pay for initial restoration and ongoing maintenance of the detention and park area. The EPW department has prepared an estimate of costs, which is attached. The initial costs include restoring the property to match the original approved development plan, including rehabilitation of the walking path, tree plantings, and installation of benches, trash receptacles, and a retaining wall. No other enhancements are proposed. The first year costs for this restoration and maintenance are estimated to be $185,828.