Glen Ellyn OKs annexation of homes

Houses slated for construction north of the Glen Oak Country Club will have a Glen Ellyn address.

Trustees have agreed to annex the subdivision into the village's boundaries. Developers plan to build a dozen houses on a vacant site north of Hill Avenue between Whittier Avenue on the west, Cumnor Avenue on the east and the Illinois Prairie Path on the north.

That's a bigger footprint than what developers originally proposed when the village gave a preliminary nod nearly two years ago to a subdivision with eight homes.

Since then, developers have purchased an additional lot on Cumnor Avenue, reconfigured access to the subdivision and expect to build four more houses for a total of 12.

Village planners preferred the new version of the Enclave of Glen Oak, saying it was better suited to the neighborhood with an entrance off Fairway Avenue and more equipped to store water during heavy rains. The project calls for construction of a sewer and catch basin that will collect and divert water to a slightly bigger and deeper detention pond.

Last March, trustees granted exemptions from village zoning rules to allow, among other things, 20-foot front yard setbacks instead of the required 30 feet.

By a 4-0 vote this week, the board passed ordinances approving the annexation and letting Skar Development LLC divide the 4.5-acre site into a dozen lots. Trustee Tim Elliott recused himself from the vote because Tracy Kasson, the attorney representing developers, works at the law firm where Elliott is a partner. Trustee John Kenwood was absent from the meeting.

Skar Development is an entity that owns the property and expects to prepare the site for construction. Those improvements should be complete this fall, said Greg Rose, company president.

"The Enclave at Glen Oak is a truly unique opportunity in Glen Ellyn," Rose said in an email Tuesday. "Twelve custom homes will be built on approximately four acres of beautiful terrain adjoining the Illinois Prairie Path."

Lots will be marketed to builders and homebuyers for purchase. Owners then will be able to work with architects to design the houses.

The subdivision also will feature "generous landscaping," Rose said, and a new road ending in a cul-de-sac.