Cary approves apartment complex over neighbors’ objections

In a 5-1 vote in front of a full house of residents voicing their objections, the Cary village board Tuesday approved the Seasons at Cary development on Route 31.

Trustee Anthony Stefani was the sole no vote. The development was the only action item on the special meeting’s agenda, following a five-plus-hour meeting Oct. 21, largely taken up by residents voicing their opposition.

Seasons of Cary calls for 5 acres of retail space along Route 31 and 360 apartments behind it. The development will connect to the neighboring Cambria subdivision via New Haven Drive, which will be extended to Route 31 — the sticking point for many of the estimated 100 residents attending Tuesday evening’s meeting.

Tony DeRosa, vice president of builder Fiduciary Development, went through changes made to the proposal following last week’s discussion. They include increasing setbacks between commercial buildings and adjacent property lines, replacing proposed pickleball courts with an expanded pond, and increasing the commercial space.

The plan as approved this week allows for two-way traffic in and out of the Cambria subdivision. Fiduciary will work with the village to install — at the developer’s expense — traffic-calming signage, striping and infrastructure inside Cambria.

That could include a traffic circle between Seasons of Cary and Cambria, narrower roads to discourage speeding, and bump-outs to narrow crosswalks and slow traffic, Village Manager Erik Morimoto said.

Fiduciary believes the connection to the neighboring homes would improve the likelihood that the Illinois Department of Transportation will approve a fully signalized intersection at Route 31 and New Haven.

Without the additional traffic from those homes, IDOT would not find that the intersection warrants a signal, DeRosa said. And without a traffic light, national restaurant and retail chains are less likely to locate there, he said.

The approved development will be done “as proactively and safely as possible for our residents,” Trustee Ellen McAlpine said.

“This is not an easy task, nor are we taking safety lightly,” she said.

Construction is set to start in the spring, with the first units opening in spring 2027 and the final units in spring 2028, DeRosa said.