New home plan aired in Antioch, but neighbors' concerns postpone approval process
The first major residential subdivision proposed for Antioch since the economic downturn isn't expected to win village backing anytime soon, as the approval process recently was postponed until October.
Lexington Homes has requested annexation and rezoning of 71 acres at North Avenue and Trevor Road to build 172 single-family homes. A public hearing earlier this month before the village's planning commission and zoning board drew considerable comment from neighbors, leading to the continuance until fall.
The property near downtown has been farmed for many years but is bounded on three sides by existing subdivisions. It also has been in the Lexington portfolio for quite a while, according to Michael Garrigan, the village's community development director.
Lexington, which has ongoing projects in several suburbs and in Chicago, wants to get required approvals in hand so it will be ready to build when available residential properties in town are absorbed and there is demand for new homes, according to Garrigan.
"Developers don't wait until every (other) lot is spoken for," he said.
The public hearing last week was continued until October after concerns were raised over the number of homes planned and their impacts on traffic, water pressure and Antioch Elementary District 34.
"The residents made it quite clear they were looking for a neighborhood park," Garrigan added.
One unique aspect of the proposal - a roundabout as a traffic calming device - would be the first in the village.
When any of this would happen is unclear at this point.
"We own the property, we have for a while," said Jeff Benach, a principal with Lexington. "We have no plans to develop at this point."
There are many available lots and homes in the Clublands and Neuhaven (now known as Deercrest) subdivisions on either side of Route 173 at Savage Road.
Together, the former Neumann Homes projects called for more than 1,000 mostly single-family homes before the company went bankrupt in 2007.
Village officials late last year restructured $26 million in debt to allow Elmhurst developer Troy Mertz to complete the project. Mertz said he is working with homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc., but specific plans have not been announced.
Antioch is unique in that it has ample open land available for residential development, according to Garrigan, who anticipated a "substantial increase" next year in new home permits.