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Schaumburg panel: 98 homes too dense for site

Criticizing a proposal for 98 single-family houses on 33 acres as too dense, a Schaumburg committee has asked a developer to tweak its plans along Meacham Road bordering Rolling Meadows before the full village board takes a look at them this winter.

Pulte Homes' concept for the subdivision called Canterbury Crossing at the Loeber Farm would be built on the so-named former horse farm on the west side of Meacham Road north of Algonquin Road.

Though representatives of the Schaumburg-based development firm tried to impress the village's planning, building and development committee with the project's architecture and 42 percent open space, the three trustees could not get past the fact that the lot sizes did not meet the zoning code's minimum.

"To me, this is just way too dense," Trustee George Dunham said. "There's no way I could advocate for this."

Mark Mastrorocco, director of land acquisition for Pulte Homes, said the houses are aimed at both busy working families and empty-nesters - both of whom favor open space but not necessarily big yards they would have to maintain themselves.

"We've always known that what we're proposing does not meet the minimum zoning standard," Mastrorocco said. "We know this is different. All we're trying to do is create a high-quality development the village can be assured will be successful."

  Pulte Homes wants to build a subdivision on land the Loeber family has owned in Schaumburg since 1948. Eric Peterson/epeterson@dailyherald.com

Paul Loeber, whose family is selling the land it's owned since 1948, argued that three previous developers gave up trying to produce a plan that met current codes.

Committee members said they didn't accept that - citing the recession as a stronger factor - but felt the new plan would be headed in the right direction if somewhat larger lot sizes could be achieved.

"You guys have worked miracles in other communities; I think you can work a miracle in Schaumburg," Trustee Frank Kozak said.

A revision of the plan is tentatively scheduled to be before the village board's committee of the whole at 7 p.m. Jan. 17, though a deferral to the next meeting of Feb. 21 is possible.

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