Council approves Lakeland resort golf course PIP after debate over lights, trees and environmental corridor

The Delavan City Council voted to approve a planned infill development (PIP) that revises the Lakeland resort golf course layout at 2400 East Geneva Street following public comment and extended council questioning about lighting, sound and impacts to a mapped environmental corridor.

Kevin Armstrong, a member of the Plan Commission, told the council the commission voted to recommend approval but flagged three findings: that the proposed par‑3 course would be lit “from dusk to midnight 7 days a week from the spring through the fall,” that technical lighting plans had not been submitted for staff review, and that the PIP proposes tree removals in a primary environmental corridor. Armstrong said staff’s finding that lighting would not be visible to homes across the lake was subjective and noted the comprehensive plan’s policies to protect environmental corridors were not fully considered.

The applicant, David (Dave) Zicaris, responded that some details in the commission memo were incorrect or overstated and described operational limits on the lights. “We’re not gonna be paying the electric bill if there’s no play,” Zicaris said, adding that typical par‑3 play lasts about an hour to an hour and a half and that lights would generally be off without bookings. He said the project team expects to remove roughly two dozen trees from the corridor while planting a net increase of trees elsewhere on the property and that the State Historic Preservation Office had provided at least one supporting letter and was preparing another.

Council members pressed for specifics on sightlines, light bleed and tree protections. One alderman applauded the applicant’s “creative ideas” but asked about the latest tee times and whether mature trees could be preserved as a buffer; the applicant said an arborist will review trees and minor layout shifts could protect individual specimens. Council and staff discussed that one hole (new Hole 6) represented the maximum potential light bleed toward the lake and that most of the course sits behind the resort nearer parking and rooms.

Despite questions, members repeatedly noted conditions in the PIP report and staff findings that require adherence to the city’s exterior lighting standards and other conditions of approval. After discussion, a motion to approve the resolution granting the PIP was seconded and approved on a voice vote.

The council’s action allows Lakeland to proceed with the PIP‑level approvals and the conditions listed by the Plan Commission; detailed technical lighting plans and any final tree protection plans were not recorded on the record and remain to be submitted under the PIP conditions. The resolution passed; the council moved on to other agenda business.