Townhouses pitched for Glen Ellyn site near Route 53

Glen Ellyn-based homebuilders are eyeing vacant land near Route 53 for a possible subdivision of townhouses.

Developers informally pitched the concept to village plan commissioners, and their feedback was mixed.

The proposal by Rite-Way Custom Homes calls for nearly two dozen "semi-custom" units, with access to the subdivision off Harding Avenue, said Staci Hulseberg, the village's planning and development director.

The rear of some of the units would face the west side of Route 53.

"We've been hearing that there's a lot of desire for town homes in the community that's unmet, and so I think they're responding to that," Hulseberg said.

While some commissioners felt the idea was appropriate, others envision single-family homes on the western edge of the L-shaped property, she said.

Directly north and south of the site are single-family homes. To the northwest are town homes along Parkview Court.

The village also would have to rezone the land to allow town homes to be built, Hulseberg said. Village code permits single-family homes on the site.

In addition, Glen Ellyn's comprehensive plan, a long-term vision adopted in 2001, recommends such multifamily complexes only on the eastern portion of the site and single-family homes on another section.

Marv Ritter, co-founder of Rite-Way, stressed developers have not "made any formal applications at this point." When asked whether developers would move forward with the project, Ritter said "no decisions have been made" and that they sought a preliminary meeting with plan commissioners to get input.

"We're just exploring what the alternatives might be," he said.