The Lake Geneva City Council recently voted unanimously to reject a rezoning request for the proposed Mirbeau-Hummel development. The city held an advisory referendum for the controversial development and voters, by approximately a 3-to-1 margin, said they opposed it.
Palatine, Ill.-based The Hummel Group and Skaneateles, N.Y.-based The Mirbeau Companies want to build a 882-home residential development with a resort, a winery, a 10,000-square-foot restaurant and 46,800 square feet of retail space on a 710-acre site north of Willow Road and west of South Shore Drive.
After the referendum vote, but prior to the City Council’s vote, Hummel and Mirbeau filed a notice of injury alleging that Lake Geneva officials violated the law when they held the advisory referendum on the development. John Terrell, development executive for Mirbeau-Hummel, said the notice of injury was filed to keep the developers’ options open so they could file a lawsuit, if necessary.
After the City Council’s vote against the project, Terrell said in a statement, "We are disappointed, but not surprised (by the council’s vote). The zoning process was side tracked, and we intend on protecting our property and procedural rights. Therefore, we will continue with the legal process and follow it to its rightful conclusion. We are hopeful that we will come to some resolution with the city as part of the legal process, to determine what is in the best interest of the city and its residents. Therefore, we are confident that a zoning ordinance will eventually be adopted for the property."
