July 04, 2025
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Geneva aldermen rebuff request to sell unusable land

Officials were unaware city owned .13 acre right-of-way – until homeowner offered to buy it

By Brenda Schory

Ann Marren, of 278 Westfield Circle, Geneva, speaks to the Geneva City Council Jan. 18 about her desire to buy an abandoned right-of-way next to her property. The measure did not pass. (brenda schory)

GENEVA – After more than an hour of debate, the City Council Tuesday voted down a proposal to sell a .13 acre of abandoned city right-of-way for $3,500.

“Unfortunately, the council did a masterful job of complicating a very simple issue of disposing of land – that has no value to the city – to a willing buyer. It’s not developable,” Mayor Kevin Burns said. ”It’s unbelievable that we were not even aware that we owned it (the property) for for some 25 years. My hope is that we can resolve this issue sooner rather than later.”

The developer of the Westhaven of Geneva subdivision 1992 donated the land to the city in 1992 as a right-of-way. It is located between two lots on Westhaven Circle – 278 and 290 –and was intended to be Colony Drive as a future connection to a commercial area. But a church was built instead, and the right-of-way was abandoned – until Ann Marren, of 278 Westfield Circle offered $3,500 to buy it.

A right-of-way dating back to 1992 lies between two properties on Westhaven Circle in Geneva. A neighbor offered to buy it for $3,500 to add to her property – but could not get enough votes for approval. (Provided)

Aldermen and Burns voted 7-3 in favor of the sale. But the action required eight votes to pass, so it failed. First Ward Alderman Michael Bruno was absent.

Second Ward Alderman Richard Marks, 3rd Ward Alderman Dean Kilburg and 5th Ward Alderman Robert Swanson all voted no because they thought $3,500 was too low.

Swanson compared it to other vacant properties in Geneva that are higher priced, such as $22,000 and $11,000.

Marren said she’s been taking care of the unimproved right-of-way since 1994, mowing, aerating, seeding and killing weeds, along with the neighbor on the other side of the right-of-way, David Durovey.

“We just did the right thing as homeowners and took care of it,” Marren said.

In considering her future, Marren said she decided to see if she could add the vacant land to her property, so she hired a surveyor and an attorney and approached the city with an offer.

Fourth Ward Alderman Gabriel Kaven said he supported the sale.

“There isn’t anybody else to find or locate for a better offer,” Kaven said. “I don’t think that the city’s getting any utility from it at the present time. It was something that was donated. It can’t be sold separately, there can’t be another structure that’s put on there. … I’d rather not have to deal with this portion any longer and worry about the potential liability to the city as well.”

Now that the city knows the right-of-way exists, Public Works will have to mow it, officials said.

Geneva City CouncilGeneva
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