School boards, parents and residents urge Mundelein to press developer on Ivanhoe impact as board cites state law limits

MUNDELEIN, Ill. — School board leaders, parents and residents told the Mundelein Village Board on Feb. 24 that the proposed Ivanhoe Village development will create substantial student enrollment pressure and asked trustees to press the developer for more school-related compensation.

Speakers at the Village Board meeting said Ivanhoe Village would be a generational project that will change Mundelein’s long-term enrollment and fiscal picture. "It'll forever transform Mundelein and not just Mundelein, but the surrounding areas," said Peter Rustrelli, board president for Mundelein High School District 120. Rustrelli told trustees the developer’s materials estimate about 3,700 residential units, roughly 7,100 residents and about 1,257 students.

Why it matters: Fremont School District 79 and Mundelein High School District 120 told the board they expect enrollment growth that will require new school capacity and argued that local taxpayers should not shoulder the construction costs. Fremont Board President Gabriella Whipple said the district’s impact study estimates a net loss to District 79 of about $1,560,000 per year (increased…