The Danada Equestrian Center and the neighboring Gladstone Ridge farm have brought generations of horse lovers to the south side of Wheaton.
After several stalled attempts through the years, Danada’s owner — the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County — is now on track to buy the pastoral property to its east.
On Tuesday, forest preserve commissioners authorized district leaders to negotiate and enter into a contract to acquire the Gladstone Ridge horse boarding center — also known as Bolger Farm — along Leask Lane. The cost is anticipated to be $12 million.
“The proposed acquisition of this property, consisting of approximately 35 acres, accomplishes part of the district’s mission to acquire and hold lands capable of being restored to such natural conditions for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna and scenic beauty of DuPage County,” forest preserve President Daniel Hebreard said.
The district has been interested in buying the unincorporated property since the late 1980s. Acquiring the site will preserve the open space link between the Danada Forest Preserve and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Hebreard said.
The Gladstone Ridge boarding and training center along Leask Lane near Wheaton belongs to the Bolger Family Homestead LLC.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
The late Helen and Vincent Bolger purchased the site more than 56 years ago. The couple, however, didn’t want to sell and ran a publicity campaign in 1998 to drum up public opposition to the district obtaining the land by eminent domain.
More recently, the forest district board voted in January 2022 to authorize its leaders to negotiate a purchase. But in the fall of 2023, the Bolgers asked the district to rescind the resolution, saying negotiations had broken down and the presence of the resolution discouraged potential buyers.
Last December, the Bolger family filed a lawsuit against the forest preserve district that said the two sides were at least $4 million apart on a price, with the district offering $10.6 million. According to the lawsuit, the Bolgers were willing to sell it for $14.3 million, even though appraisals valued it at $15 to $16 million.
After the forest preserve board rescinded its resolution, the family dropped the lawsuit several weeks later.
Then earlier this year, Shawn Bolger said the family discussed developing the site — near a neighborhood of Wheaton homes to the south — but she suggested contacting the forest preserve district again.
“The desire would be to have it remain open space,” Bolger said at the time.
According to a forest preserve board memo, the property owner contacted the district to discuss reengaging discussions after commissioners rescinded the ordinance. Since then, discussions have progressed between the parties regarding terms of a “mutually acceptable purchase contract.”
“I want to thank the Bolger family, particularly Shawn Bolger, for working with the district on this important purchase,” Hebreard said. “And I look forward to closing on this property in the near future.”