I am mistaken. They never owned the property. We are buying into a similar situation -- we will be buying a pond-lot with a use-easement (at least) to midway into the pond. But it will be the developers property, so we will need to make sure the land is permanently a pond, and that he keeps taxes up.
I will need to take my own advice here(I don't as much as I should since I actually live in Lansing, but vote at another address). I don't know Illinois local politics, but in Michigan, I live in a "township" which is almost like a mini county. We have a township trustee by precinct and a supervisor, and a county commishioner by precinct. Some counties have executives, and others do not. Townships I believe have most zoning procedures. We don't have a neighborhood association, and the area I'm at is zoned agricultural(I always said I'm a country guy).
If I were you, I'd be on a first name basis with your township officials or city council members, and also your county commishioners and neighborhood associations, if any. If you can't beat em, join em.
Any politically oriented organization at any level even tends to listen to or at least respect those(unless they are obnoxious and contribute nothing constructive...like PETA) that are always at their meetings. I've been active in the Livingston County GOP for only about a year, and I am already been considered for executive board in the near future, because I show up and contribute my time.
When I settle down to one spot for good, I'll be an active presense at those meetings.