Tiny Lily Lake to annex 276-acre development
Tiny Lily Lake took a big step to getting a lot larger Wednesday night, agreeing to annex the proposed 276-acre Huntington Ridge residential, commercial and business development.
"This was the big event," Trustee Mary Damisch said afterward.
The development is east of Route 47 and north of Empire Road. It wraps around a few houses and a church on the northeast corner of the intersection.
Developers have been frustrated with the pace of consideration by the village board. At a February board meeting, where the annexation agreement and ordinances were to be considered, the board deferred action.
Plans have been floating around for about five years, with developers approaching Kane County for approval, then Campton Hills. Erik Hoofnagle, the village's volunteer public works director, said the process improved how the village government operates.
"The best thing to come out of all this is it had exposed our flaws. It's making us a better village because of this," he said.
The project calls for 235 single-family detached houses on 230 acres along Route 47 and Empire, and 16 town or row houses and the commercial and business properties on 46 acres on Route 47. The lot sizes for the 235 houses are to be at least 12,500 square feet.
Residents have opposed the subdivision, saying they don't want the town to grow and that the commercial activity is unnecessary, but no residents spoke for or against the development Wednesday night.
A public hearing on the matter concluded in January.
Village board members spent about an hour reviewing the final annexation agreement.
Trustee Mary Damisch questioned why a part calling for the developer to lay water and sewage lines up to the boundary it shares with the Congregational Church had been removed.
She noted that the church is likely to get more members when people move into Huntington Ridge, but has little room for parking. If it were to be connected to the development's sewage treatment plant, it could then build a parking lot over its septic field.
Other trustees, however, said it was not the place of the village to broker such an agreement and that it should be left to the developers and the church to work out.
"I'm still kind of working with that," said project coordinator Marvin Vestuto, saying he is willing.
The agreement does allow the corner properties to become part of the development's plans if they choose to sell to the developer.
As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 825 people, living in 253 buildings, and measured about two square miles. There are few businesses in the town, which features homes on "estate-size" lots.
The village board agreed to annex the land within 30 days and is required to amend its zoning ordinance and maps to accommodate the development after that.
The concept plan approved Wednesday will have to undergo engineering reviews, reviews by the state and county highway departments and have its plats formally approved by the village.
The developer plans to build in three phases; at least 50 percent of the lots in one phase have to be sold before work can begin on another phase.