The Marengo Planning Commission annexation hearing continued Monday evening before a dwindling crowd that began with about 100 people in the Marengo High School gym.
Two witnesses called by the petitioners’ attorney, Richard Eicksteadt, testified about the proposed annexation of 6,000 acres into the city.
Anthony Flannigan of Crystal Lake testified that his 150-acre parcel of farmland was annexed to nearby Hampshire in October 1994 and as yet was undeveloped. Eicksteadt was trying to show that even after land is annexed, development can take a long time.
But under questioning by Joseph Gottemoller, an attorney representing residents opposed to the annexation, Flannigan acknowledged that his property was annexed after Hampshire had adopted a land-use plan, so his property was not assigned a specific use.
Therese Berkhout, an urban planner from a St. Charles firm, testified that under the current annexation petition, Marengo would benefit economically from the annexation because of its higher percentage of industrial- and commercial-use land.
