Subdivision of 200-plus townhomes, single-family houses proposed in Algonquin

Developers want to build a subdivision with 99 single-family homes and 150 townhouses near Westfield Community School in Algonquin.

Homebuilding company Lennar is looking to transform an empty plot of land about 80 acres in size into a new subdivision called Algonquin Meadows. The property is north of Longmeadow Parkway, west of Westfield Community School, south of the Willoughby Farms subdivision and east of Randall Road.

The Algonquin Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended the plan Monday. The Village Board will have the final say on the matter at a future meeting not yet scheduled, Algonquin Deputy Community Development Director Patrick Knapp said.

The homes would come in three models, with prairie, craftsman and modern farmhouse styles, Lennar representative John McFarland said. The townhouses and single-family homes all would be for sale in a price range of $375,000 to $650,000.

Developers plan to have the property be 33% open space, including four “naturalized” stormwater basins and a 100-foot-wide “conservation corridor” to the west, McFarland said.

The stormwater basins will have native plants that can soak up excess water because of their long root systems, Algonquin village engineer Clifton Ganek said.

The conservation corridor will consist of open fields and trees to act as a protective buffer for the nearby wetlands, Knapp said.

Developers have requested approval for a preliminary planned development along with a zoning change from R-1 one-family dwellings to R-2 one-family dwellings and R-4 multiple-family dwellings.

Lennar recently developed the single-family-home community of 150 houses called Westview Crossing located off Square Barn Road. That project also consists of different style homes with about 22% open space.

Lennar already has sold 50 homes since construction was completed last year, McFarland said.

The same developer also just won approval for the controversial Riverwoods residential development in Woodstock.

For the proposed Algonquin project, the single-family-home density would be about 1.9 homes per acre, and the townhomes would be about 5.6 units per acre, which is consistent with the density and size of the neighboring Willoughby Farms subdivision, McFarland said.

All homes would have a basement, two-car garage and three to four bedrooms, McFarland said. Townhouses would have a private patio or balcony and be near four open community areas.

Developers do not have a community park in the plan, but the village requested that Lennar pay a fee to support the nearby Willoughby Farms Park, Knapp said. Algonquin staff plans to create a master plan for the park this year and start park renovation work around 2027, he said.

At the meeting Monday, some nearby residents raised concerns about increased traffic and a lack of open space. Algonquin resident Patricia Levinson said a park is needed for the young families coming into that community, and the current Willoughby Farms Park cannot be made any larger.

Algonquin resident David Rodriguez said, “Something this big should have a community park.”

Commissioner John Kennealy questioned whether a traffic light should be placed on Longmeadow Parkway and the new extension of Stonegate Road.

A traffic study was completed and concluded that the project would not have a significant influence on local traffic, Ganek said.

“There would need to be something like four or five times ... the amount of traffic presented in the traffic study to actually trigger a traffic signal,” Ganek said.

Developers also are working directly with Community School District 300′s Westfield Community School to create a connecting private access road, Knapp said.

Developers next will discuss the project at Algonquin’s Committee of a Whole meeting May 14 at the earliest, but nothing is finalized yet, Knapp said.

Construction could potentially start by this fall, McFarland said.