Calumet Country Club Property Annexation Up For Vote In Hazel Crest

HAZEL CREST, IL — The Hazel Crest Board of Trustees is set to vote on an ordinance on Tuesday night that would annex 130 acres of Calumet Country Club property that opponents to the proposal fear will be eventually rezoned as industrial land and redeveloped.

A year after Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry said in a Facebook Live video that annexing the golf course property is not in the best interest of both the village and the Southland region, the ordinance up for a vote at Tuesday’s meeting includes language that says that annexing the property is now in the best interest of the village.

The ordinance reads that the Village President and Board have determined that annexing the land is both reasonable and in the village’s best interest, signaling that village officials are prepared to move ahead with the proposal with Tuesday night's vote.

However, a local not-for-profit organization that has been among the most vocal opponents of the project is planning a rally ahead of Tuesday’s vote as a way of voicing their displeasure with the plan.

Since local residents who live near the Calumet Country Club property attended a meeting that got heated last month, South Suburbs For Greenspace has continued to rally against the annexation project. The group’s leadership and local residents fear that although the property is slated to be zoned as residential, according to the ordinance's language, the owner of the property plans to turn the land into an industrial workspace that could create issues for local residents.

At last month’s meeting, Alsberry said that a decision on what ultimately happens with the land would be voted on at a local time. However, residents who fear that their voices are not being heard on the issue, have pushed back against village leadership, accusing the board of “lies, theft and corruption” according to a news release sent out on Monday.

After discussion on the issue became contentious between local residents and village leadership, namely Alsberry, at the Jan. 24 meeting, residents accused Alsberry of not considering the opinion of residents on the annexation issue. At that meeting, he said that residents would have a chance to speak on the issue at Tuesday’s meeting.

However, an agenda for the meeting shows the public comment section appearing after the vote on the proposed ordinance. Alsberry did not immediately respond to an email on Monday seeking comment on the public comment portion of the agenda.

According to agendas for previous board meetings, the public comment section of the meeting has taken place prior to action items to be considered by the trustees.

Opponents of the project are hoping that Tuesday night’s rally — which begins at 6 p.m. at the Vernard Alsberry Municipal Center — are hoping to use the gathering to change the opinion of village trustees ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

“We are holding this rally because the Southland does not have to turn a blind eye to unethical governance,” Liz Varmecky of South Suburbs For Greenspace said in a news release. “Casual corruption does not have to be the norm. Lying to the public and the press should not go unconfronted.”

At issue is the 130 acres of land which in 2021 belonged to the Village of Homewood until the property’s owner, Walt Brown, sued the village because he said he could not get the industrial zoning he was seeking for the land. Homewood officials voted unanimously to disconnect 116 acres from village ownership. The property has since been in unincorporated Cook County, which could change if the ordinance is passed by Hazel Crest village trustees at Tuesday’s meeting.

Opponents have also targeted Alsberry for flipping his position on the issue after they claim that two $5,000 donations made to his campaign swayed his stance on whether annexing the land to Hazel Crest was in the best interest of the village and region. Alsberry has denied the allegations and insists that Tuesday’s vote will simply annex the property into the village, but that it will remain residential until further discussions with the property’s owner can take place.

Opponents of the project, including two who are seeking seats on the village board in the April election, are calling for more transparency on the issue from current trustees.

“I’m really disappointed in the lack of transparency, especially towards residents.” Cameron Davis, who is seeking a seat on the board, said in a news release. “We need to have trustees who represent their constituents, and that’s why I’m running for trustee.”