Amid Opposition, Hazel Crest Board Considers Calumet CC Annexation

HAZEL CREST, IL — A year after Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry maintained that the annexation of Calumet Country Club was not in the village or Southland region's best interest, the village board will consider a proposal to do just that at an upcoming meeting.

The village’s consideration regarding the 130-acre property in unincorporated Cook County comes as local residents and members of South Suburbs For Greenspace say that campaign donations made to the mayor by a consulting group that is pushing for the redevelopment of the golf course may have factored into Alsberry’s change of mind on the issue.

Last week, more than 50 people attended what became a contentious board meeting where committee members voted to include the annexation of Calumet County Club on the village board’s agenda for its Feb. 14 meeting.

The property, which the Village of Homewood unanimously voted in 2021 to disconnect 116 acres from village property, could be eventually redeveloped into a factory that builds parts for manufactured homes as well as an indoor water park, retail space, restaurants, and a hotel, the advocacy group opposing the proposal says.

Local residents who spoke out at last week’s meeting told committee members that they are concerned about the environmental and traffic issues that could come if the redevelopment project is allowed. Opponents of the proposal reminded board members that they are elected officials whose job it is to protect and serve the people of the community no matter “who puts money in your pocket", suggesting that $10,000 in donations made to Hazel Crest's mayor may have swayed his feelings on the project.

The property, located near Dixie Highway and 175th Street, is owned by Walt Brown, Jr., whose Arizona-based company Diversified Partners, paid $3.3 million for the property in 2020. In 2021, Homewood village officials rejected a plan to have the golf course property redeveloped and instead, had the bulk of the country club land disconnected from Homewood, leaving it entirely in Hazel Crest.

Residents who spoke at last week’s meeting said that Brown is “all about profit at any expense” and claim that the development of the property will bring unwanted truck traffic and air pollution to village residents. Residents raised the issue of the village being vehemently opposed to the development of the property just a year ago and asked the board why officials’ stance had changed over the past 12 months.

Members of South Suburbs raised the issue of two $5,000 campaign donations being made to Alsberry’s campaign, the first of which came members said that Catalyst Consultants reached out to the mayor asking to speak with him. The mayor also received another $5,000 donation from the developer the day after the group toured the golf course property last June, residents said at last week’s meeting.

Alsberry, who a year ago voiced the village’s opposition to the property being annexed, said that there is no connection between the donations he received and the village’s interest in annexing the country club land. In the video that was recorded last February, Alsberry said that the village “does not welcome” what Diversified is proposing and do not believe it is in the best interest of the Southland region.

However, at last week’s meeting, the mayor said that annexing the land is what is best for the region, which opponents said provides evidence that Alsberry has been influenced by the donations he received. He called that notion “embarrassing” and said that he has never operated that way.

“It’s funny when someone tries to do right, everyone wants to make you out to be a criminal and a crook,” he said at last week’s meeting.

He added: “We’re going to do what’s best for Hazel Crest because we’ve always done what’s right for Hazel Crest….I’m in this business to help Hazel Crest.”

Village officials have said that annexing the property into Hazel Crest does not ensure that the land will be redeveloped and rezoned as industrial, opponents to the proponents say. Residents said that the development project was slated to be industrial in nature when it was proposed in Homewood and that nothing has changed.

Residents are concerned that once rezoned the property could be developed for a number of uses. They said that a proposed Tax Increment Financing district would all but eliminate any economic benefit to the project and could increase residents’ property tax burden and could divert tax dollars from local schools to the property’s owner.

The mayor has told residents that if annexed the property would be developed as residential and that any future redevelopment would need to be agreed upon by village officials and the property’s owner.

Related:

Hazel Crest Opposes Calumet Country Club Industrial Park Plan | Homewood, IL Patch
Homewood Group To Stop Calumet Country Club Redevelopment | Homewood, IL Patch