Neighbors want county to reject proposed subdivision near West Chicago
Just when it appeared DuPage County would reject a plan to build dozens of houses on the site of a former garden nursery near West Chicago, the project picked up a key endorsement from a county panel.
The DuPage County Board's development committee last week voted 5-1 to recommend Pulte Homes receive a conditional-use permit to build an 84-home subdivision called Trillium Farm on most of the land that was part of The Planter's Palette.
"I think it's a really great development," said Elizabeth Chaplin, who voted to approve the request with fellow board members Sam Tornatore, Sadia Covert, Greg Hart and Mary FitzGerald Ozog. Board member Sheila Rutledge was the only committee member to vote "no."
The full county board is expected to take a final vote Tuesday.
The development committee supported the project even though DuPage's zoning board of appeals earlier this month overwhelmingly opposed it.
Planter's Palette closed last fall after nearly 40 years. If Pulte gets permission to build Trillium Farm, the company would buy 35 acres of the roughly 40-acre property south of Roosevelt and Garys Mills roads and east of Purnell Road.
Pulte representatives say the project would provide more housing options for seniors.
But the plan faces strong opposition from residents who say the subdivision would exacerbate traffic problems and harm the character of their neighborhood.
"My neighbors and I are dismayed that all these concerns - and the concerns expressed by the ZBA - were cast aside by the development committee," resident Jennifer Ludovice said.
Traffic is one of the residents' main concerns.
Trillium Farm would have two proposed entrances on Purnell Road. But neighbors say traffic on Purnell already backs up regularly at Winfield Road and building more homes would only compound the problem.
To alleviate the traffic concerns, the development committee proposed two conditions.
First, Pulte would be required to make Trillium Farm an age-restricted community so the houses could only be sold to buyers 55 and older. Tornatore said that would reduce traffic from the subdivision during the morning and evening rush hours.
The other condition calls for traffic calming measures that would include turning restrictions in the morning at Gary's Mill and Purnell; turning restrictions in the evening at Winfield and Purnell; a speed radar monitoring sign; and a warning sign that would alert drivers of backups on Purnell.
"Ultimately, I think there's going to be less traffic and less of a problem," Tornatore said.
But Ludovice says the proposed traffic calming measures aren't realistic solutions.
"In fact, they would create new problems that would further negatively impact existing residents," she said. "Clearly, neither the traffic engineer who developed the suggestions nor members of the development committee gave consideration to how these suggested 'improvements' would impact those of us who have no choice but to use Purnell Road to reach our homes each day."
Rutledge agrees with residents who say traffic is a significant problem on Purnell. She's also concerned about the density of the development.
"I would have liked to see them scale back the number of homes," Rutledge said.
Tornatore says the subdivision would be a "good buffer" between the large single-family lots and more dense apartments and townhouses in West Chicago. He said he also likes that it would cater to residents 55 and older.
"We really need a development of this sort in the county," he said.