Deal not done on Carpentersville luxury homes

The Carpentersville village board on Tuesday needed a two-thirds vote - not a simple majority - to approve the annexation agreement for a luxury home subdivision on the village's west side, the village attorney told village staff Wednesday.

Trustees had voted 4 to 2 in approving an agreeement with East Dundee-based developer Lodge LLC to bring eight custom-built homes planned for a 5.71 acre site on Sleepy Hollow Road in unincorporated Kane County into the village.

However, the agreeement will now go back before trustees at the Aug. 5 board meeting because five votes in favor are needed for the agreement to pass.

The Illinois Municipal Code requires a two-thirds vote to approve all annexations, said Village Attorney James Rhodes, who notified village staff of the error.

Trustees Keith Hinz and Paul Humpfer voted against the agreement, citing density issues. Trustee Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski was absent.

Rhodes said the absence could "potentially make a difference" to outcome of the agreement.

The Lodge Lake subdivision would feature eight custom homes on lots ranging from a quarter-acre to one-third of an acre. The homes are expected to cost upward of $700,000.

Carrie Koenig, managing director of Lodge LLC, said a revote causes concern since trustees on the cusp could switch their votes and at least one vote is unknown.

"All I can hope is that the village board can see the benefit of this project for Carpentersville," Koenig said. "It will bring the village a large price point and give them a subdivision they have not seen before."

The oversight frustrated Village President Bill Sarto, who shouldered some of the blame Thursday.

"We should know these things," Sarto said. "I take some responsibility because ... I should know what passes and what doesn't. But once again we are shooting ourselves in the foot: we think we have something and then we don't."

Sarto compared the latest blunder to an incident earlier this month when an audit and finance commission member was deemed eligible for removal after missing three consecutive meetings without apparent cause.

However, it was later discovered that the commissioner had sent e-mails to village staff notifying them of his absences, but village staff failed to pass the information along.