269 single-family homes proposed for West Chicago
A housing developer wants to build a West Chicago subdivision on an undeveloped 111-acre property currently owned by St. Andrews Golf & Country Club.
Pulte Homes, a nationwide builder with a Schaumburg office, is seeking permission from the city to build 269 single-family detached homes southeast of the intersection of Smith Road and Route 59.
Dubbed The Preserve at West Branch, the development would feature lot sizes ranging from 6,875 to 17,080 square feet. Three different models of two-story homes are proposed, with multiple exterior designs.
The West Chicago plan commission hosted a public hearing Wednesday on the proposal. The online meeting ran over three hours and had more than 110 participants.
Most of the neighbors who spoke voiced opposition to the development. They expressed concerns about increased traffic and road safety around the development's two proposed access roads.
One proposed entrance would be on Smith Road across from Trinity Lane to the north. The other would be a southerly 100-foot roadway out to Klein Road to the east.
West Chicago resident John Kumor said plan commissioners should visit the proposed spot for the road to Klein. "Just stand for 5 or 10 minutes where it is," he said.
Kumor said they would understand "how dangerous of an area it will be," even if the speed limit is reduced.
City planner John Sterrett was disinclined to support multiple zoning code accommodations sought by Pulte Homes. The requests seek to reduce the required yard setbacks from 30 feet to 25 or 20 feet in some cases.
"Staff does not have an objection to the site being developed for residential," Sterrett said, "but not as currently planned."
Russell Whitaker, an attorney for Pulte, said the development would include a 5.78-acre central park site designed in collaboration with the West Chicago Park District. Pulte also plans to donate $300,000 to the park district for the new park's maintenance, according to Whitaker.
In addition, the site would feature four stormwater detention facilities on the development's north, south and east borders.
Whitaker highlighted two nearby Pulte Homes developments under construction: the 27-lot Eastfield in Bartlett, and the 84-lot development called Trillium Farms in an unincorporated area near West Chicago.
"At Trillium, we have 30 sales with an average sale price of over $500,000. At Eastfield, we have 25 sales with an average price of over $630,000," Whitaker said. "We anticipate that both of these subdivisions will be sold out in 2022, which leads to the desire to add additional units to the property being discussed."
Since the plan commission did not vote on the new subdivision proposal, it will continue the hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4.