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Residents oppose Fox River Resort sale · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Residents oppose Fox River Resort sale. Written by Matthias Werner
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  Speaker 1: and Maribeth Wilson. This article is being read by an
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  Speaker 1: automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Hundreds of residents
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  Speaker 1: packed LaSalle County's board meeting to oppose a proposed redevelopment
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  Speaker 1: of Fox River Resort, citing infrastructure strain and concerns about
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  Speaker 1: the buyer's Muslim faith. If we are to be most
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  Speaker 1: charitable to mister Sukera, resident Tim Hawley said during Thursday's
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  Speaker 1: public comment, we would still find that he and the
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  Speaker 1: people that he seeks to bring into our community are
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  Speaker 1: by their very nature entirely incompatible with us and our ways.
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  Speaker 1: If they cannot be expected to assimilate even to the
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  Speaker 1: faith of the people of this place, then they are
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  Speaker 1: simply not welcome here. The resort has not been acquired
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  Speaker 1: by Verret as of Friday, July tenth. At various points
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  Speaker 1: throughout weeks of community pushback against the resort's redevelopment, Jamil
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  Speaker 1: Ahmed Sukera, Veritt's founder, has expressed doubts about purchasing the property.
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  Speaker 1: In an interview with Shaw Local News Network on Friday,
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  Speaker 1: he said he is still interested in acquiring the property,
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  Speaker 1: but did not provide a new target date. LaSalle County
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  Speaker 1: Board Chairman Don Jensen said that the county is only
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  Speaker 1: involved in the project once the buyer looks to rezone
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  Speaker 1: the property, which they would have to do if they
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  Speaker 1: wanted to realize some of their stated goals for the
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  Speaker 1: project's redevelopment. One concern with the proposed redevelopment brought up
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  Speaker 1: by multiple speakers is the impact that the addition of
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  Speaker 1: substantiously more people in the area would have on the
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  Speaker 1: region's infrastructure, namely on transportation, emergency and law enforcement response,
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  Speaker 1: water and sewer capacity, and other environmental factors. On Friday,
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  Speaker 1: Sukera would not commit to alleviating these concerns if the
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  Speaker 1: sale goes through. In a Facebook post, he said that
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  Speaker 1: whatever path the project takes, if V Resort Living purchases
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  Speaker 1: the property, it would do so through lawful means. Any
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  Speaker 1: future plans would only proceed after following all applicable Illinois laws,
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  Speaker 1: county regulations, zoning requirements, public hearings, and community engagement processes.
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  Speaker 1: He said this concern was not the only topic brought
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  Speaker 1: up by speakers at Thursday Afternoons meeting. Across the country.
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  Speaker 1: There are growing concerns about foreign owned businesses from hostile
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  Speaker 1: countries and investors purchasing land and properties near critical infrastructure.
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  Speaker 1: State SIU reason R. Morris said, I believe local elected
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  Speaker 1: officials should retain the authority to determine what's appropriate for
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  Speaker 1: their communities. Resums concerns focused on the fact that the
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  Speaker 1: location of the Fox River Resort sits within twenty five
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  Speaker 1: miles of the Losal Clean Energy Center and the National
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  Speaker 1: Guard Training Center. We are not against development or investment,
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  Speaker 1: Joseph Galvin, digital director of the Fox River Church, said,
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  Speaker 1: we are again vent projects that import parallel societies that
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  Speaker 1: demand accommodations outside of the constitutional framework. We have a
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  Speaker 1: responsibility to protect our home, our heritage, and the biblical
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  Speaker 1: values of liberty and equality under one law that made
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  Speaker 1: this nation exceptional, he said. Tensions continued after public comment
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  Speaker 1: when the county's land use director walked out and a
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  Speaker 1: board member called for his resignation. Jim Reid Er Sandwich
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  Speaker 1: questioned Brian Gift about undisclosed communications with an attorney representing
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  Speaker 1: the potential buyer of the Fox River Resort, but Gift
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  Speaker 1: refused to answer questions and left the hall,