The latest reincarnation of a planned development that has been almost four years in the making bought the farm at the Batavia Township Trustees meeting Jan. 15.

The “East Fork Lake Estates” plan, which has previously been known as “Trautman Farms,” was presented to the township again, even though it was approved in 2004. The plan has undergone numerous changes and challenges, most of which surround the preservation of wetlands.

“At the time of the original approval, we formed a contract, and have been working with the township in various ways to move the project forward,” said engineer Angelo Santoro. “This is a planned development that requires a lot of thought. We feel very good about the proposal we’re making to you tonight. Since 2004, we’ve engaged in various engineering programs to solve some of the problems with the property. One being the definition of wetlands, and whether they are high quality or low quality. Second, the ephemeral streams that are on the property are determinable by the corp of engineers, and it took about two and a half years to determine those issues. Government in those arenas does not move quickly.”