Lombard grants Ken-Loch developers access to water
New apartments and townhouses being built on the former Ken-Loch Golf Course property near Lombard will have access to the village's water supply, but at a cost to the developer.
Lombard trustees have approved a utility service agreement that gives DonVen Homes access to their public water and sanitary sewer systems in exchange for the construction of a detention pond that will help address area flooding problems.
DonVen Homes plans to start building 288 apartment units in four buildings and 100 townhouses on the property by the end of the year.
Approval of the project, called Woodmoor, came from DuPage County in 2013. The land is in an unincorporated area off Finley Road, north of the Cove Landing condominiums and south of Four Seasons Park.
While the project is out of the village's hands, staff members have been meeting with the developer's team for the past 16 months to create a utility service agreement that provides benefits for the developer, the village and neighbors.
The agreement requires DonVen to meet village specifications when connecting to the village's water main and sanitary sewer lines. Future residents at the development will be billed at a rate 50 percent higher than Lombard residents, which is consistent with the village's policy for other unincorporated areas.
In addition, a retention pond dedicated to taking in stormwater from the east will be built on the far east side of the development. Village Manager Scott Niehaus said the pond will help alleviate flooding on Elizabeth Street.
An existing pedestrian pathway on the west side of the Knolls of Yorktown subdivision will be reconstructed by DonVen according to village specifications. Niehaus said it will cost the developer between $20,000 and $30,000 to build the asphalt path. The village will only be responsible for the path's maintenance after it is built.
DonVen also will maintain existing vegetation along the east side of the property and provide additional trees and plants, according to a yet-to-be completed plan that will be shared with neighbors.
The village has no plans to annex the property and police services to the development will be provided by the DuPage County Sheriff's Office. Fire response, however, will come from the village.
Trustee Reid Foltyniewicz, whose district encompasses the area adjacent the project, said he believes neighbors are not upset with the actual development, but instead with how it got started and how it has been moving along.
"I think the biggest issue has been the communication or lack thereof, the behind- closed-door meetings, the 'Cook County way' invading Lombard," he said.
Foltyniewicz said he has been focused for the past three years on improving communication and ensuring the best deal for Lombardians and the new residents. That included preserving the environment as much as possible, addressing flooding problems and making sure a new road for the development didn't cut through to village roads - all which he said have been addressed in some way.
"This started as a negative situation and I'm glad to see it end at a much improved level," he said.