West Dundee president touts gated apartment community
A gated apartment community proposed for the southern end of West Dundee may be the catalyst needed to trigger additional growth in that area, Village President Chris Nelson said.
Continental Properties, a Wisconsin-based real estate company, has submitted concept plans for Springs at West Dundee, a multifamily development with 12 free-standing, two-story buildings containing 20 rental apartments each.
The 24-acre property, just north of River Valley Memorial Gardens cemetery on the east side of Route 31, is part of the long-standing Haeger estate and would be purchased from the Haeger family.
"West Dundee has been seeking development on that side of Route 31 for some time," Nelson said. "I hope this will not only be a nice residential community, but that it will also help to trigger office, light industrial and other residential uses."
The village board got its first look at conceptual project plans this week. Preliminary plans are expected to go before the planning and zoning commission at an upcoming meeting, Community Development Director Tim Scott said.
Continental Properties is building several other Springs apartment communities throughout the country, including in North Aurora and Romeoville, where developments are slated to open this year.
This is the second time the company has expressed interest in West Dundee, Scott said. Two years ago, a nearly identical development proposed for the northwest corner of Boncosky Road and Route 31 was denied after the concept was not well-received by residents of the adjacent Fairhills of Canterfield subdivision, he said.
The new proposed site is not near any existing single-family housing developments, Nelson said, also noting its proximity to The Villages at Canterfield apartment subdivision.
"The board's decision right now is that the new location is a more appropriate one for a gated apartment community," he said.
Springs at West Dundee would include market-rate rental apartments of various styles, including 24 studio, 96 one-bedroom, 96 two-bedroom and 24 three-bedroom units, according to village documents. Attached and detached garages, as well as surface parking, would be available for residents.
Additional amenities include courtyards, pedestrian pathways, a pet wash station, fenced pet playgrounds and a clubhouse featuring offices, a 24-hour fitness facility, a pool, a kitchen area and a large gathering room for events.
Concept plans also call for creating an access road off Route 31 that would align with the Canterfield Drive intersection.
Nelson pointed to results of a housing study conducted in 2013, which indicated that millennials and seniors are looking for rental housing similar to the proposed luxury apartments.
"We feel this fills a niche in that area," Nelson said.