Woodstock could gain acreage and Bull Valley could gain access to city water and sewer services under the terms of a deal approved by both municipalities last month.
A 20-year boundary agreement between the city of Woodstock and the village of Bull Valley would allow Woodstock to annex about 1,500 acres of land that previously had been on Bull Valley’s side of the border. In exchange, some properties would be permitted to connect to Woodstock’s water and sewer systems in the event they’re annexed into Bull Valley and developed.
“We’ve been able to negotiate an agreement that I think is very beneficial and mutually supported by both communities,” Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager said.
Neither Bull Valley nor Woodstock annexed land as a result of the deal. Rather, the agreement establishes a boundary line, some of it in unincorporated McHenry County, beyond which neither municipality will extend. The new boundary has moved east in several spots — south of Charles Road along Route 120, and in a few areas bordering Country Club and McConnell roads.
Bull Valley President Emily Berendt said the new agreement could encourage commercial development in the village. If annexed into Bull Valley, future developments near the intersection of Route 120 and Greenwood Road and the southeast and southwest corners of Route 120 and Queen Anne Road could hook up to Woodstock’s water and sewer system if capacity were available.
“Since the village’s 2011 comprehensive plan, we’ve had certain areas that we’ve deemed appropriate for commercial development,” Berendt said. “This would facilitate that.”
Bull Valley customers would pay a nonresident premium to use Woodstock’s sewer and water, and a business that was “relocating or moving a substantial portion of its operations or sales” from Woodstock to Bull Valley would not be allowed to connect, according to city of Woodstock documents.
The agreement, approved by the Woodstock City Council July 18 and the Bull Valley Board of Trustees July 24, also establishes other conditions. Woodstock accepted development restrictions for property north and west of the intersection of McConnell and Country Club roads, which is located within the Boone Creek Fen Groundwater System. New language in the agreement also calls for the preservation of open space, natural areas and undeveloped land.
“We’re very happy with the agreement offering us 20 years of stability now as far as planning and conservation practices go,” Berendt said.
The original boundary agreement between Bull Valley and Woodstock was created in 1997 and amended in 2007.