Villa Olivia developers make changes to meet neighbors' concerns

Sometimes, being a good neighbor doesn't come cheap.

That's a lesson one particular developer has learned when it comes to building on what's now the Villa Olivia golf course.

An attorney for developer Ryland Homes announced Monday that the company is willing to make a deal with the city of Elgin when it comes to addressing resident concerns that originated from the Castle Creek and Tuscan Woods subdivisions.

Some Castle Creek residents, for example, had objected to seven "tall and ugly" proposed townhouse buildings blocking their view.

Ryland Homes is now offering to take them out of the blueprints entirely, which would mean more than $7.7 million in lost revenue, said Ryland attorney Peter Bazos.

With Elgin's permission, the developer also is willing to keep Bellcourt Lane a dead-end street, pay the maintenance costs for Castle Creek's detention pond in perpetuity, and share the detention pond with the subdivision rather than building its own, which would allow the builder to convert more townhouses into smaller duplexes, Bazos said.

He intends to lay out the proposed accommodations during Wednesday's Elgin City Council meeting when the plans and annexation details are due to come up for a vote.

"We think it goes probably beyond what can be reasonably expected, but it's a large project and the developer has decided to go beyond what was expected to show good faith," Bazos said.

Ryland Homes was angling to build 96 single-family houses and 279 townhouses, but the proposal, which the plan commission rejected, was stalled while the developer sorted out lingering issues with neighbors.

The owners of Villa Olivia, a 139-acre golf course, want to leave the village of Bartlett, which has opposed the development, and become part of Elgin so they can move forward with the development.

A judge has given the golf course permission to leave the village, but upheld a covenant banning residential development of 98 acres on the site until 2022.

Both sides have appealed the decision and a ruling is expected within eight months, Bazos said.

Although Elgin Councilman Dave Kaptain said he is pleased Ryland Homes is accommodating its neighbors, he is still not convinced the project is in Elgin's best interest.

He points to a three-year-old study that says the money the city would get from the development's impact fees and taxes still won't make up for the $70,000 burden taxpayers would shoulder each year for its city services.

Kaptain, the project's toughest critic, says Ryland Homes can still expect a "no" vote from him.

"What Ryland has done is they've done nothing to change my mind about it," Kaptain said. "My issue here is strictly economics."