Housing subdivision closer to getting OK on former Fox Valley Country Club
North Aurora trustees are poised to approve construction of several hundred houses, townhouses and duplexes at the former Fox Valley Country Club on Route 25.
Trustees disagree with the village's plan commission, which said that there needs to be more room between the buildings.
The developer of Lincoln Valley on the Fox has asked for permission to put buildings as close as 5 feet to lot lines, meaning there could be as little as 10 feet between units. The way some units will be placed, however, there could be 6- and 7-foot setbacks on some sides.
Plan commissioners wanted a 10-foot setback, with at least one being concerned with how fire could spread from building to building.
But trustees did not discuss the setback at all Monday when reviewing the plans at a committee meeting. They were more concerned with preserving trees on the site.
Trustee Mark Gaffino favored requiring contractors to pay a fine if they mistakenly remove a tree designated for saving. A fine will prompt contractors to be careful, he said.
D.R. Horton/Cambridge wants to build 374 townhouses, duplexes and detached houses on the 102-acre site. It says the subdivision would be marketed to people 55 and older.
The golf club at 2500 N. River Road closed in October 2015. The City of Aurora owns it, and is selling it for $5.3 million.
The site is in North Aurora, and is zoned for single-family detached houses. The developer needs the village's permission to subdivide the land and rezone it to allow more housing than the current zoning permits.
Larger setbacks was one of nine conditions the plan commission attached to the recommendation for approval it made in March. The developer has agreed to the other eight, which concerned matters such as making a cul-de-sac wider, paying $267,410 to the North Aurora Fire Protection District because of the expected increase in calls for service, putting in evergreen trees as a buffer and having a third-party company study traffic on nearby roads.
Horton/Cambridge representatives have said the size and design of the homes, including "small" bedrooms and lawns, plus the fact maintenance work will be handled by a homeowners association, will be attractive to seniors, and not appeal to people with young families.
The village board could vote on the rezoning and the development plan as soon as June 16.