Prairie Grove planners reject ‘modern living’ subdivision with more than 200 townhomes and single-family homes

A proposal to construct more than 200 single-family homes and townhomes in Prairie Grove faced a setback after the planning and zoning commission recommended denying the requested rezoning for the development.

Developer Lennar Corp. is looking to transform almost 80 acres of undeveloped land into a subdivision with 112 single-family homes and 118 townhomes at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Ames Road. The proposed project consists of a park with a playground, a trail system and about 8 acres of preserved woodlands.

Developers are requesting a map amendment to allow for a single-family and townhouse residential district, according to village documents. The village’s current codes and ordinances “do not provide for a modern subdivision,” said Richard Olson, land planner at Gary R. Weber Associates. The code currently allows for large single lots, while Lennar is proposing a “cluster development” with amenities, he said.

“It gives you modern living in a subdivision setting,” Olson said.

Prairie Grove’s planning and zoning commission denied recommending the proposal in a 4-0 vote Thursday. The Village Board will have the final say if it gets approved. A date has not yet been set for the board’s vote, village attorney David McArdle said.

More than two dozen residents crowded into the small boardroom for the meeting. Residents and commissioners spoke about concerns of density and increased traffic.

“I think there needs to be a lot more study and a lot more detail and a lot more input from the residents before something like this comes in,” resident Fred Bencriscutto said. “It’s completely an odd duck compared to what we’re used to as a standard and a quality of living in this village.”

The proposal is not as dense as it might seem, Olson said. Townhomes will be about six units per acre, with about three units per acre for the total project, he said. The plan has 56% open space for the site.

“It’s not extra dense at all,” Olson said. “Townhome densities can typically get up into the seven, eight, even 10 [units per acre].”

The development could add more than 400 cars to the area, and that could put a strain on smaller country roads such as Ames Road, Commissioner David Walters said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will be widening Route 31 to four lanes with a median from Route 176 to Route 120 starting in 2026 and aiming to finish in 2028, traffic engineer Michael Worthman said. IDOT also will provide a traffic signal at the intersection of Edgewood Road and Route 31. Lennar is looking for separate left and right turn lanes on Ames Road going onto Route 31 but will need to work with the village and IDOT to ensure it happens, he said.

“The character of this road is going to change significantly,” Lennar developer Richard Murphy said. “When it’s all said and done, it will be a lot better for everyone.”

Prices for single-family homes are expected to start at $500,000, and the townhomes will range from $350,000 to $400,000, Lennar representative Scott Guerard said.

If approved, construction could start as early as next year, with closings on homes starting in 2026, Murphy said.

Resident David Gerholdt said even if he doesn’t like the plan, this type of housing is the “economic future.”

“This is reality, and we’re just going to have to change the way we do things here,” he said. “Prairie Grove isn’t going to be how it is forever.”

Lennar also developed the Woodlore Estates single-family home and townhouse subdivision near Routes 176 and 31 in Crystal Lake and won approval for the controversial Riverwoods residential development in Woodstock. Other developments completed or in the works are in Huntley and Algonquin.

“I know Lennar is a huge company, and I know we’re a small village,” Village President David Underwood said. “But they really have taken to heart what the village of Prairie Grove is all about.”