Buffalo Grove approves townhouse zoning at Route 22 and Prairie

Buffalo Grove trustees this week voted in favor of rezoning a property to allow the development of townhouses on a 1.05-acre site at the northeast corner of Prairie Road and Route 22.

The developer, JTW Prairie Landing LLC, is under contract to acquire the property with the goal of building 12 three-story townhouses, which will be known as the Prairie Landing Townhomes.

At Monday's meeting, the board voted to rezone the property from allowing only single-family dwellings to one permitting multifamily housing.

"Ultimately, this was a project that was vetted many times over the last two years," Community Development Director Christopher Stilling said. The planning and zoning commission unanimously recommended approval, he said.

The development site is at the end of Chelsey Street, within the existing Noah's Landing development to the north. Stilling said the property's development was contemplated when Noah's Landing was approved, with Chelsey ending just north of the development site. The the developer plans to extend Chelsey to serve the townhouses and enable residents to access Prairie Road and Half Day Road via Chelsey and Taylor Court.

Stilling added that the detention pond built for Noah's Landing will also serve the new development.

He said the developer is willing to work with the Noah's Landing homeowners association to share in the cost and maintenance of the detention pond, which is a condition to the ordinance approved by trustees.

Stilling said Noah's Landing residents had expressed concerns about those shared maintenance costs, as well as the project's density and design. Buildings in Noah's Landing are no more than two-and-a-half stories.

Trustee Andrew Stein, the only no vote, said he was troubled by the density. trustee voting against it, also had reservations about density. "I have to be honest. I'm having a hard time picturing the 12 units … on that one-acre parcel."

Stilling said that the comprehensive plan envisioned approximately 10 units per acre, not a lot less, and the use of the Noah's Landing pond allows him to build on a smaller site. He also noted that the developer is providing additional landscaping along the perimeter.