Townhomes, duplexes coming to Huntley

A new housing development is coming to Huntley and is slated to be named after Regency Square.

The Huntley Village Board voted Thursday night to approve a 224-unit development, Regency Square, which backs up to Sun City.

The development is set to include 119 units of “urban townhomes,” 67 units of traditional townhomes and 38 units of ranch-style duplex homes on about 48 acres, according to village documents. Officials said home prices are expected to range between $325,000 and $420,000.

The townhomes will be south of Charles H. Sass Parkway and east of Regency Parkway, while the duplexes are planned to be west of Regency Parkway, according to Huntley documents.

The development will contain amenities including a dog park and park. Lennar Corporation, the developer, will develop the park then hand it over to the Huntley Park District, an arrangement that officials said is the case with other parks in subdivisions, including Cider Grove and Fieldstone. The village of Huntley also will take over management of Princeton Drive as part of the agreement, according to village documents.

Lennar’s projects in and around Huntley include the Talamore subdivision on the north side of town and the recently approved Riverwoods development up the road in Woodstock.

While Village Board members supported the proposal, some citing a need for more affordable housing in Huntley, some neighbors who live in Sun City had questions and concerns.

Before public comment began, Huntley Village President Tim Hoeft said it was an “emotional issue” and reminded everyone to stay respectful.

Sandy Deacon, who lives in Sun City near where the development will be, said she wanted to share residents’ concerns about the project. She said she didn’t believe Huntley officials had Sun City’s best interests in mind. She also asked when construction might start.

“Huntley is quickly losing its image of being a small town, great place to live community,” Deacon said.

Officials acknowledged the comments.

“Everyone’s feelings and concerns are 100% valid,” Trustee Mary Holzkopf said.

Holzkopf asked when construction will start, and Lennar representatives said they would like to start this year. She brought up concerns about dogs potentially escaping the dog park and attacking children on the playground nearby. But, she expressed support for the development and said, “This fills a need in our community.”

Trustee Ronda Goldman, who said she lives in Sun City, said more people will bring more businesses to Huntley.

“It’s not about Huntley enriching our treasury,” she said.

The Huntley Village Board looked at the plans in October, and village documents indicate trustees had asked for a dog park and more buffering and landscaping between the edge of the development and Sun City.

“We’ve had people itching for a dog park in this community for 15 years,” Hoeft said.

The Huntley Plan Commission unanimously approved the development in March. Public comments then expressed concerns about traffic in the development, among other concerns, according to officials.

As part of the approval, the land was rezoned from business to residential. Hoeft said the property had had that zoning for 25 years.

The development up for a vote Thursday was not the first development proposed for the site in recent years. In 2022, San Antonio-based Lynd Living had proposed an apartment complex on the site, but the proposal was never voted on.

Of the townhome development, Hoeft said, “I don’t see it getting any better than this.”