Geneva council approves townhouse proposal, despite some objections

The Geneva City Council has approved an annexation agreement for a proposed 24-unit townhouse development.

Called Prairie Grove, the development will sit on roughly 5.75 acres of vacant land along Peck Road between Prairie View and Heartland Drives. The project calls for 18 ranch units with a mix of two and three bedrooms and six two-story units, each with three bedrooms, City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins said.

In addition to the annexation, the council approved an ordinance granting an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan designating the property for single-family attached housing and a zoning map amendment to medium-density residential from rural single-family residential.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the proposal at a Jan. 9 public hearing. However, they heard objections from neighbors who said the development is too dense and the single entry and exit through Peck Road is dangerous.

Kristin Louapre, who said she was speaking on behalf of her father, Anton Purkart, who lives on Peck Road, likened the thoroughfare to a racetrack.

“I don’t care if this only adds 10 cars,” she said. “You’re asking for an accident in that location. For people turning left, there’s going to be accidents there.”

Lynn Means, a senior transportation engineer with consulting engineers BLA Inc., said traffic from the proposed development “will have a minimal impact.”

As for the public’s concerns, Means said Peck Road is not a residential road.

“It is — sadly — a mini Randall Road,” Means said. “A minor arterial roadway, so it does accommodate a higher volume of traffic volume and it does accommodate a higher traffic speed, and it does provide a greater restrictions by county standards by number of driveways and access.”

At the City Council meeting, Fourth Ward Alderperson Amy Mayer said she received a lot of correspondence from constituents who opposed the project. But she noted the new zoning is not the densest designation.

“This is not high-density residential,” Mayer said. “This is townhomes.

She added, “This will turn into an asset for the community.”