In 2018 (link), the City of Danville was gifted ~150 acres of property to the south of the Chateau Estates subdivision. This property had been previously owned by developers and investors who thought that Danville would continue to grow on the west side of Lake Vermilion, and that this land could earn a nice return as people looked for secluded, scenic lots to build expensive homes on.
It’s apparent now that this is not likely to happen anytime soon. Danville has thousands of extra housing units, and while new finishes are definitely necessary in much of the existing housing stock, new construction is almost nonexistent in Danville and Vermilion County; demand just isn’t there. There’s nothing on the immediate horizon that suggests this will change.
The land itself is breathtaking. Two major ravine networks and creeks, combined with incredible views of the lake and North Fork river make for some of the best scenery in the whole county. Not to mention up close access to one of the most underutilized assets Danville has, the Aqua Illinois dam that forms Lake Vermilion. The rugged, industrial patina offers an interesting visual contrast to the rustic beauty of the wooded ravines and the sound of rushing water as it cascades over the spillway. Herons and eagles roost and hunt in it’s shadow. It’s truly an unseen beauty.
There’s some infrastructure at the site, planned long ago in Danville’s brighter times, and a gravel road runs through the whole property. It would cross the dam if it weren’t gated, and VCTA’s long-term goal definitely is to negotiate the terms of pedestrian access to cross the dam, but that may be for a later date. As is, the land is isolated and hard to get to for much of anything, and even if it weren’t, we don’t really need more high income households locking up the best of our county’s natural resources for themselves. That trail is well worn.