Dist. 95 might give up responsibility for road
Lake Zurich Unit District 95 officials are considering a proposal that would relieve the school system from being responsible for snow plowing and other chores on a Hawthorn Woods street.
District 95 has had responsibility for Hubbard Lane, off Old McHenry Road, since property purchased for Spencer Loomis Elementary School and Middle School North was brought into Hawthorn Woods under an annexation agreement in 2002. Loomis Elementary opened in September 2003, followed a few months later by Middle School North on what originally was a 93-acre site that cost $6.5 million.
In 2006, the district received $4.5 million after selling what officials deemed to be 59 excess acres to Nicholas Grove Properties, which at the time was supposed to build single-family homes on the land. The homes never were built by Nicholas Grove, but the annexation agreement with Hawthorn Woods still required District 95 to maintain, improve and plow Hubbard Lane leading to the vacant 59 acres.
At a committee meeting Thursday, school board members considered an amendment to the Hawthorn Woods agreement as a result of William Ryan Homes' ownership of the property. William Ryan wants to build 60 homes on the land for what would be the Stonebridge subdivision.
Developer attorney Tom Burney said the plan is for Hawthorn Woods to take control of Hubbard Lane from District 95. He said District 95 wouldn't need to pay to upgrade the street if it does not meet Hawthorn Woods standards.
"William Ryan Homes is going to accept the responsibility of bringing the road up to whatever the village's road standard is," Burney told the District 95 board. "That's not going to be the responsibility of the school district. So, as a result, the school district is going to be relieved of the responsibility of maintaining that road, repairing that road and snowplowing that road."
Under the proposed amendment to the annexation agreement, William Ryan Homes wants permission to place signs advertising Stonebridge's single-family homes on publicly owned District 95 land near the planned development.
Meanwhile, District 95 board member Doug Goldberg questioned why some aspects of the original annexation agreement would remain in the revised document, calling them "onerous restrictions" on the school system. For example, District 95 is supposed to plant enough trees of proper size to shield proposed neighboring homes year-round from lighting at Loomis Elementary and Middle School North.
However, Goldberg added: "I'm 100 percent for you guys developing this."
District 95 would receive impact fees for each home built by William Ryan. The district would get $795 for a one- or two-bedroom attached unit on the low end and a maximum of $5,206 for a five-bedroom single-family house.
William Ryan Homes is still moving the Stonebridge proposal through the Hawthorn Woods approval process.
District 95 board members eventually will vote on the proposed amendments to the annexation agreement.