Elgin far west subdivision plan worries Campton Hills

A long-dormant plan to build a large subdivision in far west Elgin is expected to move forward despite concerns about increased traffic from residents and leaders in adjacent Campton Hills.

Developer CalAtlantic Group, formerly Ryland Homes, wants to build "The Ponds of Stony Creek" with 504 houses on 278 acres southeast of McDonald and Corron roads. The new development would be just west of the Arlington Estates subdivision in Campton Hills.

Elgin annexed the land in 2006 and approved a plan three years later for 430 homes on 90-foot-wide lots. On Wednesday night, the Elgin City Council gave a preliminary, unanimous OK to the current plan, which calls for 74 additional homes on smaller, 80-foot-wide lots.

Community Development Director Marc Mylott said he's satisfied the new plan addresses traffic issues.

Elgin will repave McDonald Road along the The Ponds at Stony Creek, and the developer will add a westbound turning lane and an eastbound deceleration lane, Mylott said. Traffic engineer Lynn Means, hired by the developer, said projections show traffic in the area would "operate at acceptable levels" through 2036.

But McDonald Road is a hilly, twisty road, and it's already dangerous to enter and exit the Arlington Estates subdivision via Phar Lap Drive, said Patsy Smith, former village president of Campton Hills. Adding more than 500 homes next door will make that much worse, she said.

Smith's concerns were echoed by Kane County Board member Barbara Wojnicki, whose district includes Campton Hills, and resident Mary Fredrick, who lives in Arlington Estates. "The village of Campton Hills is going to get a lot of the abuse of this extra traffic," Fredrick said.

Elgin has jurisdiction over McDonald Road alongside The Ponds at Stony Creek, and Campton Hills has jurisdiction of the road just to the east, alongside Arlington Estates. Farther to the east of that, it's Elgin's jurisdiction again.

The Campton Hills portion of McDonald Road also should be improved with turning lanes, but the village doesn't have money for that, so Elgin and the developer should take that on, Smith said.

But that's not Elgin's responsibility, Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said. "Those obligations are incumbent on us as communities," he said.

Smith said McDonald Road in that area takes a sharp turn, which she called an "S curve," that increases driving blind spots.

"If the village of Campton Hills feels that 'S curve' should be straightened out," said Peter Bazos, attorney for the developer, "Campton Hills should pay for that - not Elgin and its developers."

Campton Hills was incorporated in 2007 because of concerns about encroaching development from Elgin, Campton Hills Village President Harry Blecker said.

The Ponds at Stony Creek will "dump a lot of cars" on two-lane McDonald Road, which the village has no means to improve, he said.

"A much smaller development would be appropriate," he said. "Campton Hills is a semirural community. That whole area is semirural, and that type of development doesn't fit there."