Politics & Government

Developer Reworks River Road Subdivision Plan

Residents still have concerns about traffic and flooding.

 

A developer reworked plans for a River Road subdivision, giving it a new name, reducing the number of homes and using a conservation approach to save trees.

The changes, however, have not impacted neighbors’ arguments against it.

Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Developer Greg Pantos, of AK Group, is asking the village to annex his land into the village so he can build River Ridge Estates. The village rejected his proposal four years ago for a subdivision called Riverwoods.

Now called River Ridge Estates, the plan calls for fewer homes, storm water and sewer improvements, and a tree conservation approach. But the changes have not impacted residents’ arguments that flooding and traffic will be worse if the subdivision is built.

Find out what's happening in Algonquin-Lake In The Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pantos want to build 25 single-family homes on 26 acres along River Road.

Homes would be priced between $700,000 to $800,000.

New water and sewer lines will be built to connect with the village’s existing infrastructure.

Part of the storm water system will be a detention pond on the property, which Pantos said would have a positive impact on the overall storm water management with the area.

Neighbor opposition

Residents Sheryl and Al Gafka were not impressed.

The retention pond would be located 75 feet from the couple’s property. If it floods, it will affect their property, they said.

This week’s flooding is an example of what can happen. River Road has been a mess and is barely capable of handling storm water runoff, Sheryl Gafka said at this week’s meeting. The roadway is also flooding because the drainage system in the area is bad, there is nowhere for the water to go, she said.

“It’s like driving in a flood” on River Road, she said. This is the first time since 1996 that the couple’s dock has been even partially under water, she said.

Algonquin trustees wanted to know whether the subdivision would exacerbate the storm water problem in that area.

“The flooding occurring now is extraordinary,” Public Works Director Bob Mitchard said.

The drainage on North River Road is always a problem, he said. It will always be a problem just because of the nature of its design. It’s a system of individual release points that take the water off the hill and discharges into the river, he said.

This subdivision will not correct that, but it will not make the situation worse, he said.

Tree conservation

Homes would be built to specific site characteristics.

A tree preservation approach will be taken so fewer trees will be removed.

The homes will be on 1.55 acres and the developer will clean up the site, clearing dead trees and preserving man of the oak and hickory trees on the land.

“It’s a little bit of a mess,” Pantos said. “It needs a little bit of work. The true value of this site, to me, is the trees,” he said, adding that is why he wants to preserve the trees. He estimates 88 percent of the property will remain untouched.

Custom homes that will be designed for the lot to incorporate the existing landscape architect Anthony Divizio said. The homes will have walkout basements and three car, side garages.

Traffic issues

Another big concern for Gafka is the additional traffic. River Road is so congested that a 15-minute trip takes an hour or longer during rush hour, Sheryl Gafka said. People also drive recklessly, she said. The road has a sharp curve and it’s hard to see because it’s very dark, she said.

Traffic congestion is a problem, Trustee Deb Sosine said.

She lives in the area and traffic is already bad. Until a new bridge is built, those problems won’t be alleviated and she worries that River Ridge Estates would add to the traffic.

Trustees gave Pantos the go ahead to continue working on the project. The village board will get another look at the plan _ which would also require a public hearing _ then vote on the annexation within the next few weeks or month.

“I was adamantly opposed to it at the time,” Mayor John Schmitt said of the plan four years ago. “I laud you for the effort to make this improvement. Thank you for bringing back a vastly better project.”

 

 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here