The Parker resort sounds like a heaven-sent project for Galena, Illinois, a small, scenic city along the Mississippi River that depends on tourism. But don’t try telling that to Wendy Clark, a Galena native opposed to the project who succeeded in tying it up in litigation for two years despite the city approving it.
Finally, an appellate court in Illinois has come through with a common-sense ruling that paves the way for The Parker. And while Clark and at least a few other vocal residents will no doubt continue to object, we believe this development will be a huge plus for the city and its broader region of Illinois.
For starters, The Parker project will resurrect an important part of Illinois history. Completed in 1859, the Marine Hospital in Galena was built to take care of sailors and other workers from the nearby Mississippi River. Today the abandoned, dilapidated building is among the state’s most endangered historic places.
Renovating the hospital is at the center of a development plan that would bring a California-style winery and resort to open land on the outskirts of the city. Illinois-based developers who run a pair of resorts in Wisconsin are funding the $30 million-plus project entirely with private funds, they say — no public expenditures required. The Parker could be a catalyst for reviving a desirable but underutilized slice of Illinois.
Because of Clark, however, the city has racked up a big legal bill to fend off a lawsuit that alleged a host of wrongdoing, from zoning irregularities to due-process violations. A local judge considered 10 separate counts in Clark’s lawsuit, rejecting nine.
But one stuck: In 2023, the judge ruled that Clark and others who object to the development were not given the right to cross-examine the developer and other witnesses at a series of public hearings. For that reason, The Parker plan was parked.
This page has long defended the rights of citizens to speak out and be heard about government actions affecting their lives and property. In this case, however, the elected leaders of Galena went out of their way to accommodate opponents of the project.
In 2022, a Zoning Board hearing went on for almost four hours, and Clark was the first opponent to speak, getting unlimited time to outline her concerns, according to the appellate ruling. After she and several other opponents spoke, the developer addressed some of the issues raised, clarifying, for instance, that leaders of Galena’s police, fire and emergency medical services had been consulted for the project. Clark then was invited to speak again in rebuttal.
Clark took additional opportunities to bash the project and rebut the developer at another public hearing before the Zoning Board, and at a five-hour hearing before the City Council. It’s not as if she was given two minutes and cut off, as has occurred in other Illinois public hearings that are hardly worthy of the name.
Among those alarmed by the ruling in Clark’s favor was the Illinois Municipal League, which asked the court for permission to support the appeal by the developer and city of Galena. Every public hearing at every local municipality can’t be run like a circuit court trial, after all, and in this case, Clark received proper notice and generous opportunities to be heard.
Now that the appellate court has overturned the ruling, here’s hoping The Parker comes to pass. To his credit, developer Dave Hooten of Bien Vie LLC and True North Quality Homes LLC has continued a dialogue with Galena residents. At a public hearing he hosted earlier this year, he explained in detail how the project would be phased in over time — assuming it survived the court challenge.
Now, he’s restarting it, telling this page in an interview that he is excited to pick up where he was forced to leave off, despite construction costs having soared in the meantime.
Hooten envisions a “Sonoma-style” luxury retreat, with renovated guest rooms in the historic Marine Hospital building as well as up to 120 freestanding cottages. It will have a vineyard, winery, event center, cafe, gardens, prairies and woodland areas crisscrossed with walking trails, all on a 99-acre tract of farmland and forest that he has assembled near the city’s historic downtown.
It’s a big, ambitious plan, and the No.1 objection is that it’s “over the top” and will change the character of the community.
Hardly. Galena and the region around it depend on a continued flow of investments like The Parker. Tourism already supports an estimated 3,000 jobs in a city with a population of about 3,200 (and gradually shrinking over the decades). The project will add to the tax base, helping to pay for schools and other public services.
And Galena is no undeveloped area at risk of being despoiled. Its existing resorts offer golf courses and ski hills, plus it has dozens of hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants. A big Best Western hotel is within a mile of the Marine Hospital building — and the plaintiff’s home.
Enough NIMBY, already. It’s time for progress in a part of Illinois that more people need to see and enjoy.
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