WILLIAMS BAY — The former Williams Bay school building is expected to be demolished within the next two weeks, Village President Adam Jaramillo said in a post on the Williams Bay Neighbors and Info Group,
The former building has sat empty since 2016 when the new school was opened on the west side of town. The old building has remained vacant for nearly a decade and is being replaced by a 10-home luxury residential development.
According to its website, Fox Development of Illinois is planning to build high-end, luxury homes on the property.
Fox Development says it is working on upgrading the dormant Williams Bay Elementary School grounds and will convert the lot into an exclusive community of lake estate properties with 10 elegant homes.
Jaramillo says the current owner has received a permit from the state to conduct asbestos removal. The permits for demolition of the building have also been granted. The village board does not vote on these permits.
“It is my understanding that the building will likely be gone in a few weeks,” Jaramillo said.
The lot has not been rezoned and no development agreement has been made with the village yet. Application materials are being processed by village staff. The first applications will likely be before the Plan Commission in May, according to Jaramillo
In the mean time, the village board is exploring a Tax Increment District for this lot in order to finance new water and sewer lines and road repair for the surrounding area.
The public water pipes around the old school are very old and undersized. The TID discussion was an agenda item on Friday, March 13 Finance and Personnel committee meeting, according to Jaramillo.