Wilmette Land Owner Wants To Build Road Through 10th Hole Of Golf Course
CHICAGO (CBS)--Owners of a golf course in north suburban Wilmette are sparring with a land owner who wants to build a taxpayer-funded road through the 10th hole of the fairway.
The proposed road would provide access to a landlocked property owned by a family trust represented by Joe Keefe.
"We've had other paths that candidly we thought that were better, but those were opposed fairy vigorously," Keefe said.
So, Keefe is now pushing the village to build a public roadway through the Canal Shores Golf Course so he can access the property.
The development plan details a 426-by-60-foot street that would slice the 82-acre course from the standard 18 holes down to 17 holes.
Keefe said he doesn't want to impact the golf course, but said the road is a last resort because he's tried to sell the property to a public body, but no buyers have emerged.
"It would be our hope to have a future developer be responsible for the roadway itself," Keefe said.
A neighbor of the golf course says the road would come within a foot of his property line.
Director of Canal Shores, Karl Leinberger, said the attorney representing the project is affiliated with Illinois Senate President John Cullerton. He said taxpayers would foot the bill for the proposed road's estimated $700,000 cost.
"They shouldn't be using tax dollars to help out a developer so he can develop upscale homes," Leinberger said.