Wonder Lake’s Stonewater subdivision set to change future of village

Roads, walking paths and detention ponds were installed. Water and sewer systems were installed. Thousands of trees were planted in an on-site nursery, and boulders were lined up by size, ready to become landscaping centerpieces.

But for a dozen years after it was annexed into Wonder Lake, not a single house was built in the Stonewater subdivision where 3,400 to 3,700 new homes were envisioned.

After the housing market crashed in 2008-09 and slowly began to rebound, the developer, Andy Teegen and McHenry-based NRB Land, waited.

That wait ended in 2021, when the first homes went up and residents began moving into the massive development. Stretching across 1,400 acres from Route 120 to McCullom Lake Road, Stonewater now has 130 homes with residents living there, Teegen said.

One builder is on the site, D.R. Horton. Potential buyers can now find single-family homes, townhomes, ranch houses and a four-plex model, ranging in price from $230,000 to $400,000.

Teegen said he hopes to see the entire development finished in the early-to-mid 2040s. With 3,400 to 3,700 new homes planned and an estimated headcount of 2.6 people per home, Wonder Lake would see just shy of 10,000 new residents through just that neighborhood.

Village President Tony Topf helped to negotiate the 2009 development agreement with NRB Land for what was then called Thatcher Meadows.

As developers approached the village in the mid-2000s, Topf said he believed Wonder Lake needed something different. Instead of a builder coming in, throwing up new houses and walking away once it was done, the village needed more to make those developments work for them.

“The thing that would help Wonder Lake to make this deal work, one of our problems, was just having one [water] well. We needed a way to get more water to the east side, and deeper wells. Water would be very important” to put together a plan for those acres east of the village, Topf said.

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Construction continues on the installing water and sewer lines in the Stonewater subdivision in Wonder Lake on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. When the subdivision is finished, 3,400 to 3,700 more rooftops will be added to Wonder Lake, potentially making the village one of the larger municipalities in McHenry County. (Gregory Shaver — gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver for Shaw Media )

The agreement the village and Teegen came to was that Stonewater wells would serve the east side of Wonder Lake beyond just the new subdivision. A new wastewater treatment plant would also serve not only the development’s residents, but existing Wonder Lake homes too. As sewer lines were expanded, Topf and Teegen said, the treatment plant was designed for expansion, too.

The new plant on McCullom Lake Road opened in 2020. Paid for by NRB, it is now owned by the village, Teegen said. The developer also put in water and sewer lines along the road, connecting it to existing Wonder Lake homes.

With access to the water and sewer system, unincorporated areas around the lake and abutting the town might reconsider whether they want to be a part of the larger municipality, Topf said.

About 4,000 people live in Wonder Lake currently, Topf said. Several subdivisions on the east side of the lake are not incorporated into the village and are not counted in that number.

Wonderful things are going to happen because we have the plan in place.

—  Village President Tony Topf

Even areas like Hancock Drive – the de facto downtown area – are not actually in the village and are on wells and septic systems, he said.

The new wastewater treatment plant could connect to Hancock Drive, Topf said. If it were to annex, Hancock Drive would be “the first place we would run a sewer line with a lift station and tie the businesses to the sewer line.”

The new wastewater plant and water system also gives the village greater opportunities to apply for grants and continue improving its water and sewer services for existing Wonder Lake homes.

But annexations need approval from those living and owning property inside the areas, Topf said. He hopes those landowners see the opportunity presented to them by coming into the village.

“There is an opportunity with the sewer lines so other subdivisions can tie into them. It could be a year out, or 10 years out with annexations, but it is a goal,” he said.

“I look at it ... as an opportunity to improve the conditions in Wonder Lake. The development has given us the opportunity to to that,” he said. “It is an audience participation thing. They have to want to come in.”

The water and sewer expansions were not the only ones funded by the development, Teegen said.

In 2018, developer fees from NRB paid for 67% of the $6.75 million renovation project at Harrison Elementary School in Harrison School District 36. A site is also set aside inside Stonewater for a future District 36 elementary school.

Since June 2021, Wonder Lake has had a total 440 new home permits approved, Village Manager William Beith’s desk.

The houses are being constructed in about five months, between permit approval and closing, Teegen said.

Beith came to village government after a 30-year career as a mental health provider at the Elgin Mental Health Center. He changed careers after his personal involvement with Kane County’s Campton Hills incorporation. The village was formed to prevent Elgin from annexing the area.

He was the first village manager – and one of the first residents – in Campton Hills. He later went on to manage Gilberts as that town saw 1,000 new houses added. He then worked in Prairie Grove.

Teegen “is the best developer I have ever worked with,” Beith said.

Topf, who chose to not run for reelection on the April 4 ballot, said he believes the Stonewater can and will change the village of Wonder Lake.

“Wonderful things are going to happen because we have the plan in place” for those changes, Topf said.