Village trustees were unimpressed with the proposed plans for townhome units at the proposed Lansdowne subdivision. Board members asked staff to work with the developer to tweak these elevations, to possibly add more brick or color.
By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
Development plans to bring more housing to Plainfield are underway.
On June 18, village trustees approved one of two measures for the new Lansdowne subdivision west Book Road, near the intersection of 127th Street and Plainfield-Naperville Road.
The project site was annexed last fall. The approved site plan includes 69 townhome units and a portion of the single family lots for phase one.
The development includes single family attached and detached homes situated on roughly 55 acres of undeveloped farm land. Plans also include dedication for park land.
The board approved the final plat for subdivision.
“Staff believes the project is well on track, the applicant has identified that they hope to be under construction this fall with at least some site work, turning dirt, getting the roads cut in, and the underground utilities, with the potential for construction… next spring,” said Director of Planning Jonathan Proulx.
But while the board approved the plat, most trustees were not in favor of the proposed design elevation for the townhomes.
“It’s not too impressive for the area, I think it could be better, the materials could probably be better,” said Trustee Brian Wojowski.
“It’s my understanding that this elevation for this subdivision is really supposed to be a transition over from what’s existing across the street in the area,” added Trustee Cally Larson. “So, I don’t expect it to be overly aggressive in aesthetics, but I do expect to see some more significant peaks and elevations and possibly a little more uniqueness because of how cosmetically and aesthetic improved the current existing residents are across the street. So, it’s not horrible, but I would like to continue discussions with them to see what we can improve to add some more brick and a little bit more color into this, and especially possibly looking into breaking these up a little.”
Trustee Edward O’Rourke was the lone holdout on elevations, arguing that the village needs variety in its housing options.
“I believe we need a balance of housing units in the community. If this is not what some trustees consider the top end, I think that’s probably okay” O’Rourke said. “We have to look at the builders and understand what they believe they can build and make a profit, because that’s all part of this. But I also think it’s important that we provide… a complete balance between the different type of housing stock so if people want to move into our community or stay in our community, they have that option. I think if we go back and ask [the developer] to change this and this, ultimately it’s going to end up driving up the price point as well.”
While a motion to approve the elevations was made by O’Rourke, there was no second, so no vote was made on the issue. Village staff will work with the developer on possible changes to the elevations and bring the site plan back to the board for review at a future date.