Bristol Village Board and CDA approve option agreement on 60 acres

A map of the land in question from the Kenosha Landco LLS option contract agreement.

The Bristol Village Board and its Community Development Authority both unanimously approved an option contract agreement that ultimately could result in the village selling land it owns along 122nd Avenue between Highway 50 and Highway K (60th Street) in Kenosha for as much as $15 million.

Kenosha Landco LLC, the potential purchaser of the property has been linked in media reports to efforts to build a casino in Kenosha.

The votes came at a joint meeting of both the CDA and Village Board on Tuesday evening at Village Hall.

The meeting started out with the village attorney explaining the terms of an option contract agreement. A copy of the letter of intent posted at the village’s website and described as substantively the same as the final version says Kenosha Landco LLC will have two years to exercise an option to purchase the property and pay $50,000 for the first year of the option and up to $75,000 for the second year, depending on what parcels are involved at that point.

Before the votes, the boards took citizens comments. Seventeen people spoke in the initial round. Nine opposed the sale, mostly on the grounds of the idea that it could lead to a casino, which caused them safety concerns. Seven supported the sale. (Note: I could not tell what one of the speakers favored — DH)

Bristol owns the property along 122nd Avenue because it used to be in Bristol. When Bristol was a town and vulnerable to annexation it purchased 300 acres with the idea of thwarting annexations from Kenosha. Later, a boundary agreement was struck that put the strip in Kenosha.

If the land is sold, Bristol would have no authority over how it was used or developed, village officials pointed out. That authority would lie with Kenosha.

The agenda for the meeting included a possibility of a closed session, but none of the officials were in favor of that option.

“It is my believe we do not need to go into closed session for consideration of this,” said village President Michael Farrell.

There was little discussion amongst members of either board before the roll call votes.

After the meeting, Farrell said the board in the past has entertained offers for the same land that have fallen through for in the neighborhood of $10 million.

A view of the audience at the meeting.
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