‘Not very appealing’: Campton Hills to get almost $10M in fees from developer, but District 304 left out

Campton Hills stands to receive $9.45 million in permit fees from a proposed annexation of 962 acres with 900 homes, according to a draft annexation agreement.

The charge to Geneva-based developer Shodeen Group is $10,500 per dwelling unit to a maximum of 900, of which 700 are to be single-family homes, according to the agreement.

“The purpose is to pay for all the inspections that we would do on a house, checking work — building permit-wise — and public safety,” Village Administrator Mark Rooney said.

Rooney said the fees would cover plan review, stormwater management, all civil engineering reviews and the construction inspection.

A public hearing on the annexation is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at Campton Hills Village Hall, 40W270 La Fox Road, Campton Hills.

Called La Fox of Campton Hills, the proposed development is a smaller, less dense than a now-defunct plan for 2,000 homes.

The proposed agreement also calls for a 3-acre parcel to be donated for a public safety building.

However, the draft annexation agreement states that Shodeen “shall not be required to donate any land or money to the village or any other governmental body or third party, other than considered under this agreement.”

With the acreage wholly within Geneva Unit District 304, officials said they were working on a plan to rectify that.

“The deal as proposed is not very appealing to the school district,” school board President Larry Cabeen said. “We are going to have the expense of educating these kids. It’s like they forgot the whole thing is in the Geneva school district.”

“We are taking steps to get a more equitable agreement,” he added.

Shodeen Group President David Patzelt said the developer is committed to working with the district on a viable solution.

As Campton Hills has no property tax levy, the new subdivision would have a special service area to collect taxes for the ongoing maintenance and repair of all public improvements, such as streets, gutters, streetlights and sidewalks, according to the agreement.

The project would be a planned-unit development requiring one or more homeowners associations to maintain the appearance and community standards.

The village is to create a second special service area, which will operate solely as a “backup” if the homeowners association does not maintain open spaces as governed by the PUD, the agreement states.