Preliminary plans for a Pulte residential development on a long-vacant property northwest of downtown St. Charles may soon head to the St. Charles City Council for a vote.
Last week, the City Council’s Committee of the Whole recommended for approval preliminary plans and a zoning map amendment for the proposed project, which is similar to a concept plan discussed with the city earlier this year.
The 27-acre property in question sits northwest of downtown, north of Dean/State streets between Fifth and 12th streets and south of the railroad tracks.
The location of the proposed development is the old Applied Composites site, on which a controversial development project called the Lexington Club received
More Top Picks Best Leg Massagers For Seniors User
city approval more than a decade ago, but didn’t ultimately come about, according to the city.The site has been vacant since 2005, the city says.
Now, a proposed 105-unit development is under consideration, slated to be made up of single-family houses and townhomes. It’s being brought forward by national developer Pulte Homes.
A concept for the site was discussed at a city meeting in May, and Pulte then submitted formal applications to the city for the project — now known as Seventh Street Commons — in June, per the city.
That application includes a request to adjust the boundaries of the existing residential townhome and single-family zoning areas within the site and preliminary plans for the project, per the city. The proposed project is similar to the concept plan that was presented previously, with the same breakdown of units — 93 single-family homes and 12 townhomes, according to documents included in last week’s meeting agenda.
At the Oct. 19 Committee of the Whole meeting, Russell Colby, the city’s director of community development, said the city’s Plan Commission recommended approval of the proposed project, with some conditions related to things like additional trees, the separation of townhouse driveways and the addition of benches within the development. These conditions have been addressed in the preliminary plans, according to the city.
Colby said the developer is requesting to provide payment of a fee in-lieu of providing affordable housing units as part of the project, which he said would have required “substantial subsidy.”
Colby also noted that a traffic study was prepared by the developer, which indicated no roadway improvements or traffic control modifications were recommended as a result of the proposed development.
The city is also in the process of establishing a tax increment financing, or TIF, district on the property.
A TIF district is a sort of economic development incentive, in which the value of a property is essentially frozen, and the extra or “increment” taxes created by developing the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area.
A Joint Review Board meeting related to the potential establishment of a TIF district is set to be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 at St. Charles City Hall, according to documents from the city, and a public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 7 on the matter, also at City Hall.
TIF funds would go toward reimbursing the city for paying for the relocation of electric utility lines that cross the site, which is estimated at less than $3 million, according to the city.
Things like demolition, site work and environmental remediation would be paid for by the developer.
At last week’s meeting, some residents spoke against the proposed development, criticizing things like the density of the project and potential increases in traffic in the surrounding area resulting from the development, as well as inquiring about the environmental remediation process on the site. A Change.org petition opposing the project has also garnered several hundred signatures.
Aldermen asked various questions about the project, with some discussion on things like the planting of trees on the site and the traffic study. The Committee of the Whole ultimately requested the proposed plans include an additional 30 trees on the site.
More Top Picks How To Set Up A Home Media Server
At last week’s meeting, Nick Peppers of Storino, Ramello & Durkin, the law firm which is representing Pulte, reiterated that a prior project, which he said is similar to the one being proposed by Pulte, was ultimately approved for the site. And he said the proposed project has a lower density than some of the surrounding area.
Calling the site “abandoned and blighted,” Peppers touted that the project would build housing within the city’s existing boundaries, and that it would provide more single-family homes close to downtown.
Matt Brolley of Pulte, meanwhile, shared the planned development’s offerings, which would include both townhomes and several variations of single-family homes. The homes and townhomes would be in the range of two to five bedrooms, per his presentation.
Ultimately, following last week’s discussion, the Committee of the Whole recommended approval of the zoning amendment and preliminary plans, with only Ald. Ronald Silkaitis voting against it.
The matter is expected to come before the St. Charles City Council for a vote at its Nov. 2 meeting, according to City Administrator Heather McGuire.