Kane County’s goal of being able to retain at least half of its area as open space and farmland was given a boost Tuesday by voters who showed overwhelming support for continued land preservation.
The county Forest Preserve District’s proposal to sell $75 million in general obligation bonds to fund additional land buys won approval of 64 percent of Kane voters.
A proposed $28.3 million bond sale for open-space purposes was approved by more than 74 percent of voters in Campton Township.
Campton, in central Kane, lies squarely within the county’s so-called “critical growth” area, where a newly minted, 2030 land resource management plan proposes that half of the projected 300,000 population increase should be located.
“It was a good day for building a strong legacy for Kane County,” County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said in response to the outcome of the open-space referendums.
“That is truly amazing,” McConnaughay said of the Campton result.
Although it was only advisory in nature, a referendum in tiny Virgil, where a massive new development is being proposed, resulted in a resounding “no” to whether the village should annex the roughly 1,500 acres of land that define the so-called Founders Creek plan.
The non-binding referendum against annexation and rezoning of the site was favored by 69 percent to 31 percent of voters.
Although he was confident the district’s open-space issue would be approved, Forest Preserve Commission President John Hoscheit said he was surprised by the extent of support.
“We knew people were in favor of open space,” said Hoscheit. The response “was just outstanding,” he said.
The significance of the 64 percent to 36 percent result is underscored by the less favorable economic conditions now compared with April 1999, when 66 percent of Kane voters approved the district’s $70 million bond issue for open space, he said.
“The climate now is a little different, so there was concern that because of financial constraints, voters would have to make some tough choices,” Hoscheit said.
“It’s a show of confidence that we invested the 1999 referendum money wisely,” he said.
