Route 47 project in Lily Lake may be realized

Lily Lake officials are optimistic about a Route 47 development plan that would boost the village's size -- and tax base.

The bulk of the development would consist of about 225 houses on 230 acres along the east side of Route 47, south of the village.

An additional 46 acres northeast of Route 47 and Empire Road would be used for residential and commercial growth.

Village leaders still are ironing out details with developers, but acting Village President Jesse Heffernan said Wednesday she expects to have a proposal ready for public review early next year.

For the project to proceed, Lily Lake officials would have to annex 230 acres along Route 47 into the village. The 46-acre component already is in the municipality.

"We're still in the beginning phases, but we're working as hard as we can around the holidays to get an annexation agreement we can propose at a public hearing," Heffernan said.

The developers are being led by St. Charles real estate investor Marvin Vestuto, who took a similar idea to nearby Campton Hills several months ago.

That plan, which called for the annexation of 500 acres along Route 47 into Campton Hills, was stalled after property owner Warren Strom complained his family farm was being "forced" into the village by developers.

The developers later removed Strom's property from the proposal, which left them with too little contiguous land to make the plan work in Campton Hills.

"We would have to find someone else to fill in where he was," said Ken Shepro, attorney for the developers. "Right at the moment, there isn't anything like that."

Shepro said the current plan is to build about 225 single-family homes several hundred yards east of the Route 47 frontage, with the potential for more. The 45-acre development would be more of a "neighborhood commercial" design, with a mix of small businesses and row houses, he said.

"We're not talking Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens," Shepro said. "We're talking something with more of a rural small shop feel that would be integrated with walkable residential areas."

About 40 percent of the property would be open space, Shepro said, and a small parcel would be donated for the Lily Lake Cemetery. Two new residential water wells would support the new buildings.

Heffernan said although village officials have informally talked about similar developments for four years, they are hopeful this one has a chance for success.

"I'm hoping it will bring some great commerce to Lily Lake, starting small but with the potential to grow," she said. "We could use the tax dollars."