A long struggle over land boundaries ended last week, when Lake Zurich trustees approved the annexation of 55 acres at Route 22 and Quentin Road.

Officials hope the move will pave the way for Mariano’s Fresh Market grocery store to be built at the intersection, said Daniel Peterson, director of building and zoning at the village.

“Immediately, it will have a huge impact,” Peterson said. “Hopefully, it will spur some development.”

Mariano’s owners have been in the middle of a land tug-of-war between Lake Zurich, Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods. But that was resolved in December, when the three villages formed an intergovernmental agreement to share sales tax revenue that would come from redeveloping that intersection.

Peterson said with the obstacles removed, developers vying to build the grocery store could present a courtesy review of their plan to the village board within the next couple of weeks.  That would likely soon be followed by talks in March with the plan commission,  he said.

Landowners who want to sell their property to Mariano’s said the annexation is a long-awaited relief.

“It’s been a long fight,” said Eric Nielsen, property owner of land on the north side of Route 22 at Quentin Road.

The land disputes were related to different interpretations over the villages’ boundaries listed in a 1993 intergovernmental agreement between Kildeer and Lake Zurich, officials said.  Kildeer and Lake Zurich officials began discussing changing the agreement four years ago when potential developers offered to buy property at Cedar Hill Nursery’s parcel at 21854 W. Route 22, officials said.

The Village of Hawthorn Woods attempted twice in the last two years to annex parcels of Lake Zurich land, including Cedar Hill Nursery, which spurred a legal battle between those two villages in Lake County courts.

When Lake Zurich launched its effort last fall to annex parcels, hoping to have a grocery store built on the site,  Hawthorn Woods had a restraining order placed until the villages could settle litigation about property lines.

Now that the boundary issues have been clarified and the revenue sharing pact has been made, Peterson estimates the grocery store could be built as soon as late 2013 or in 2014 if  talks with Mariano’s  go smoothly.

Cedar Hill Nursery owners Charlene Wooten and her son, Dennis, are also happy to have the issue settled. The pair say they expect to make some money by selling a chunk of  their parcel to the developers. They also plan to expand their business, rebuild the garden center and change the entrance to the nursery  to make it easier for customers to access the business.

“It’s good to get this supported by the village,” Dennis Wooten said.