63 houses proposed for new Mundelein subdivision
A real estate developer is moving forward with plans to build a new residential subdivision in northwest Mundelein.
K. Hovnanian Homes has proposed constructing 63 single-family houses on vacant land near Route 60/83 and Route 176. If approved by the village board, the development would be called Maple Hill.
Route 176 also is known as Maple Avenue in that area, and there's a large hill on the site.
Hovnanian has a contract to buy about 20 acres of the 31-acre site from an operation called Clark Street Development, according to plans available on the village's website.
The Clark Street group would retain the remaining land, which is on the north side of the property, for future commercial development, documents indicate.
The dividing line would be the Seavey drainage ditch, a man-made channel that runs through much of Mundelein and is designed to alleviate flooding.
Some land would be set aside for a path between Route 60/83 and Leo Leathers Park. An existing path ends east of the proposed construction site.
Various companies - including Pulte Home Corp. and Walmart - have looked at building homes or stores on the property through the years, but none of the plans came to fruition.
The site's topographical features, including the Seavey waterway and the hill, have been obstacles, Mundelein officials have said.
Another concern is the grove of mature oak trees on the site. According to Hovnanian Homes' plan, crews will remove 125 of those trees but save 60 - including 35 on one lot that will remain undeveloped.
"Those trees, they're older than any of us and older than the village, and (preserving them will) add value to the subdivision," Trustee Ray Semple said.
The company will plant 287 trees, too, including three at each house to be built, documents indicate.
Hovnanian's plan first surfaced publicly in December. It's been refined since then, and a presentation was scheduled for this week's village board meeting.
That discussion was delayed, however, because village officials requested clarification of a few points in the proposal, said Dawn Jenich, Mundelein's communication and marketing director.
The proposal likely will be on the agenda when trustees meet Oct. 9. The village board could approve various aspects of the plan that night, too - including a request to change the zoning of the 20-acre portion to residential. It's specifically zoned for a shopping center right now, documents indicate.
Likewise, the zoning for the 10-acre site north of the Seavey ditch needs to be changed to general commercial.
Semple is keen on Hovnanian's vision for the site.
"This subdivision proposal is the best proposal we have seen and is with a reputable builder," he said. "I am confident that it will be an asset to our community."