Palatine council approves plan for new townhouse complex
A 12-unit townhouse complex proposal that drew resident concerns about additional traffic and other issues will proceed as a result of the Palatine village council's approval this week.
KF Walter Homes Inc. of Palatine will construct the ranch-style townhouses on the 1500 block of North Hicks Road, just south of Dundee Road. The project will cover about 2 acres and border Garden Avenue, across the street from Northwest Shopping Center.
Councilmen voted 4-2 in favor of the project Monday night. Councilman Greg Solberg, who cast one of the "no" votes, complimented the project but said he was concerned about the townhouses being too close to Hicks.
"There are a lot of good things about this plan," Solberg said. "I think that the concept of 1-story townhomes is a good one. I think that it fits the neighborhood. I think it's going to make a lot of improvements to the stormwater system."
Under KF Walter's plan, there will be four homes in each of three ranch-style buildings on property where permitted uses already include office or retail development. Each unit will have a two-car garage and two parking spaces on the driveway.
Residents in bordering single-family homes spoke against the project before the village council's approval. Their concerns included the additional traffic, the townhouses not fitting with the neighborhood and potential worsening of stormwater runoff.
"This is totally going to upend what we have," said North Elm Street resident Walter Bilyk.
KF Walter will build a system that'll collect rainwater and direct to it to a detention area. The water will be detained and released from the townhouse site into a storm sewer, not flowing freely off the townhouse site and toward the bordering properties as it does now.
"From a staff perspective, that is an improvement from what's taking place," said Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen, who explained KF Walter's stormwater plan to the objecting residents concerned about worsening runoff.
Gregory Rose Jr., owner and president of KF Walter, said the townhouses will be marketed to residents 55 and older and complement the single-family properties in the area
Members of the advisory Palatine plan commission last month voted 5-4 against recommending approval of the townhouses. However, Palatine's director of building and zoning, Ben Vyverberg, said KF Walter made enough architectural plan revisions after the commission's negative recommendation to gain the village administration's support.
KF Walter will return to the village council for final consideration of its fencing and landscape plan.