Plainfield Village Board again considers approving new rental development

The Plainfield Village Board again discussed a plan to develop up to 210 townhouse-style apartments on about 29 acres of land near the southwest corner of Illinois Route 126 and Drauden Road.

The Wingspan Development Group presented an updated plan for the project at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Nov. 22 after hearing concerns from board members at previous meetings about the project.

Jonathan Proulx, the village’s director of planning, said the proposed development, called Onyx at Red Fox Farm, would offer a unique housing option to the Plainfield market.

Christopher Coleman, the vice president of development for Wingspan, detailed the updated plan for Onyx to the board. He argued it was the planned for the “right place at the right time with the right design.”

Coleman said the types of renters who would be most drawn to a development like Onyx would be older millennials, older adults or families moving to a new city, the recently divorced and empty nesters.

“I believe that probably everybody on the board anecdotally knows people in town who fit into these categories,” he said.

Coleman also listed the amenities proposed for Onyx, including a central park area, a clubhouse with a pool and sun deck, a walking path around the community and green spaces.

He also emphasized that the plan was updated taking into consideration concerns from the board. The updates included reducing the density of the housing, adding curvature to the streets, and increasing separation between buildings.

Coleman added that a study Wingspan commissioned found that the housing market in Plainfield is undersupplied with rental units which would make a development like Onyx much needed for those who cannot afford a mortgage.

Mayor John Argoudelis emphasized the point about the need for a more diversified housing stock in Plainfield.

“A lot of younger people say ‘I can’t find a place to live in Plainfield,’” Argoudelis said. “I think there is a demand for this.”

Still, Trustee Brian Wojowski said he was “much more cautious” about “higher density developments” than other officials and said he would like to see other new rental units in the village fill up before approving another development.

Coleman echoed Wojowski’s concerns and said his company wanted to be cautious as well and not oversaturate the local rental housing market. He said Wingspan tried to address this concern by planning for different types of housing within the Onyx development in hopes of appealing to different types of potential renters.

“By breaking it into product types, we’re appealing to different market segments,” he said. “So you can think of it as three different communities within one.”

Argoudelis said the Village Board is slated to take up the plan for a vote during a meeting Dec. 6.