About 300 apartments coming to Huntley, despite some village board reluctance

Huntley soon will be home to a new apartment complex near the Huntley Springs Retirement Resort near the intersection of Route 47 and Powers Road.

Henry Patel, the developer for the nearby Hampton Inn, also is behind the housing complex, which is currently named Shiva Apartments. Plans also call for a small amount of commercial space, according to village documents.

Once built out, the complex will have 293 units in a mix of two- and three-story buildings, but it will be constructed in phases. The complex will have studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments.

The Huntley Village Board first reviewed plans in August but approved the complex last week.

The nearby Hampton Inn opened almost a year behind schedule, and Village President Tim Hoeft had asked for monthly progress reports on that project. Progress reports were stipulated for the apartment complex.

Coming into Thursday’s meeting, there were 297 units proposed for the development, which was a little too many for officials.

Plans indicated that there would be 12 buildings, including nine with two levels and three with three levels. The maximum allowed for the development was 293, according to village documents, and Patel agreed to comply with that. Patel said he’ll work with the architect to rearrange some of the three-story apartments to meet the threshold.

The density also was a sticking point for the Plan Commission. The complex originally had 312 units, according to village documents, and the developer took out a one-bedroom unit in each three-story building.

“The biggest elephant in my mind on this is the density,” Trustee Ric Zydorowicz said, asking whether the developer could reduce it by four units, to which Patel agreed.

Hoeft said he appreciated the gesture and said he thought the approach on the phasing was “brilliant.”

“This has been a piece of Huntley that has been missing forever,” Hoeft said, adding that there’s not a place for children to move back to that’s affordable.

Village documents indicate that rent is expected to range from $1,679 for a studio apartment to $2,807 for a three-bedroom apartment.

The complex also will have community amenities including a pool and pickleball courts, according to village documents.

Trustee Ronda Goldman said in August that she thought the developer should wait and see how the economy is doing, a sentiment she echoed again July 11.

“You don’t have a crystal ball to know what the economy’s going to be like. We’re in a year of election,” Goldman said, adding that interest rates can “go up and down.”

Goldman and Trustee Vito Benigno wanted to delay the vote, but Benigno said later that he was ready to vote. Hoeft disagreed, noting that the topic originally was on the agenda June 27.

“All these people are not out there rushing to rent. Huntley is well-known for ownership,” Goldman said, citing concerns about potential vacancies in the new apartment development.

Goldman said she wanted to think things over before making a decision.

Goldman abstained from a vote while the remainder of the board voted yes.

Patel said he was hoping to start site work in the next couple of weeks, with construction slated to start in October. As for the commercial side and getting restaurants in, “we’re working on it,” Patel said.