In the latest chapter in the saga surrounding the Lake and Lathrop property, River Forest officials have filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court requesting that all of the current structures on the property of the stalled mixed-use development on the southwest corner of Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue be demolished.
According to Matt Walsh, village administrator, River Forest took the step to motivate the cleaning up of the property to remove the nuisance structures. A clean site, he said, “should also enable future redevelopment and improve marketability of the site.”
“The interested parties are still being served, so there are no hearing dates set at this time,” Walsh added.
This suit joins a foreclosure suit filed in April 2023 by Beverly Bank and Trust, a Wintrust-affiliated bank that was financing the development, and a suit filed in July by Lake Lathrop Partners LLC against River Forest claiming officials acted illegally in its denial of a new building permit to restart the stalled mixed-use development on the southwest corner of Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue.
In September 2023, officials repealed the building permit for Sedgwick Properties, an authorized agent acting on behalf of Lake Lathrop Partners LLC, and issued a stop work order. They said those steps were taken because Sedgwick failed to meet the requirements and conditions of the village’s 18-month building permit, which was originally issued in February 2022.
The long-delayed project had been on life support since April 2023, when Beverly Bank and Trust filed suit against Sedgwick Properties in Cook County court, looking to claw back $4.2 million from the $20 million line of credit it issued in 2022.
In the latest court filing the village has taken steps to force the demolition and restoration of the Lake and Lathrop property. The complaint states that all of the current structures on the property, including the parking structure, elevator shafts and foundation, are “a nuisance to the community and must be taken down immediately.”
If Wintrust Bank and Lake Lathrop Partners, identified in the suit as the parties/owners of the property, do not comply, village officials state their intent to pursue demolition to be paid for by these two entities.
“The village’s priority is to attract a viable, vibrant and attractive redevelopment site,” village President Cathy Adduci said in a village e-newsletter. “The Village Board of Trustees retains all authority over the approval of any development plans related to this property.”
The four-story, mixed-use development was to contain 22 condominium units with 14,000 square feet of retail space. The project had been on the drawing board since before the Village Board approved Lake Lathrop’s proposal in 2016.
River Forest officials responded in August to the lawsuit filed by Lake Lathrop Partners LLC by filing a motion to dismiss.