Cary townhome developer asks village to cover $73K in infrastructure costs

Developers will have to wait to find out if the village of Cary will cover more than $73,000 worth of infrastructure improvements for a future 10-unit townhome property.

Developers of the property, which will be called Ridgefield Landing, plan to construct two buildings with a total of 10 residential townhomes at the northeast corner of Route 14 and North Second Street in Cary.

The village bought the almost 1-acre plot of land in 2007 and sold the property for $150,000 in 2022, according to village documents.

Developers requested that the village cover about $73,300 in infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks, curb replacement and landscaping.

About $12,000 would go to sidewalks, while curb replacements are estimated to cost $46,200 and landscaping about $11,300.

Jay Dulla of Ridgefield Homes said he is requesting village assistance because of unexpected costs relating to ComEd and Illinois Department of Transportation requirements.

The proposed infrastructure projects ultimately benefit the village since it provides improvements to the long-vacant lot, according to village documents.

“We consider this a gateway property,” Dulla said.

After concerns were raised about what exactly should be the village’s responsibility, trustees tabled the request Tuesday.

Trustee Ellen McAlpine said she could see the village helping with certain infrastructure costs but also would like to see further documents on developers’ initial budgeting and price changes.

“I would like to vote on these separately,” she said. “Landscaping, to me, should be something you should have in your budget to have done no matter what.”

IDOT requires the sidewalks to be completely relocated closer to the property to create a safer buffer from vehicle traffic, according to village documents.

Proposed landscaping would include nine trees that the village would be responsible for maintaining, while property owners would maintain turf areas, according to the proposal.

The project is located within a tax increment financing district that was approved in August. The village has a facade improvement grant program for businesses within the TIF district, but the development is not eligible for it since it is a residential property.

Developers bought the property with the intent to build new townhomes before the TIF district was approved, Trustee Rick Dudek said.

“What would you have done if we didn’t have the TIF?” Dudek said. “It’s money coming from the TIF that you would have to incur if we didn’t have it.”

Dulla said he would have to raise selling prices of the townhomes to make up for the unexpected costs. Right now, none of the units have been sold before construction, Dulla said.

Once fully developed, the property has the potential to generate about $50,000 of incremental increase to the TIF annually, Cary Community Development Director Brian Simmons said.

“The village would only reimburse that money at completion of the improvement,” Simmons said. “Then, once there is an occupancy of at least one building ... you’re guaranteed that the property is generating some increment.”