By Marney Simon | Enterprise Staff
The future of a vacant parcel once slated to house a church is up in the air, as plans to build a residential subdivision have been put on hold.
Earlier in August, the village board sat quiet on a proposal to build a 70-unit townhome development proposed as “Park West” at 248th Avenue and 127th Street.
The applicant, Pasquinelli Homes, had gone through the concept plan process, and held a public hearing before the plan commission. But when the time came to say yes or no to the proposal, the board declined to make a motion.
On Aug. 27, the applicant approached trustees again during a committee of the whole meeting, looking for clarity on why the proposal couldn’t pass muster.
“The plan commission was very much in favor of the plan, they made suggestions, I incorporated those suggestions into the plan. I came before the board here, presented it, and I believe this board was very much in favor of the original concept, offered some suggestions which I also incorporated into the plan,” Anthony Pasquinelli told the trustees. “Somewhere in between that and the last meeting, something has changed, and I’m just trying to understand what the village is looking for. I’d like to make it work if I can, I like working in Plainfield, I’ve built thousands of homes in Plainfield, and I want to continue to do so.”
Board members said they agreed that the concept was a good idea for new homes in Plainfield, particularly to attract a younger demographic not interested in single-family homes.
But, trustees said, the plan floundered when it came to traffic management.
“I think it’s on transportation issues. How do you handle the traffic in that particular area? I came away with the conclusion that it needs some attention, and I’m not sure that the site plan is sufficient to give it that attention,” said Trustee Bill Lamb. “Where you come out in the development, how do you handle it, do you put in lights, turn lanes, this is part of a traffic study I believe, and that’s not been serviced. I like the concept… but other things have come up that say, these are real problems. Do we have the answers for those, I don’t think we do yet.”
Residents inside the neighboring Canterbury Woods and Kings Crossing subdivisions remain vehemently opposed to the project, mainly due to additional traffic that a new residential community would cause. Residents said they have difficulty even getting into their own subdivision, due to vehicular and train traffic that can often leave the roadways stalled.
“We were really insulted because I really don’t imagine Mr. Pasquinelli is going to live in these townhomes and live in this area and deal with the congestion and traffic issues that are currently there,” Susan Farnan, a resident of Kings Crossing, told the board, calling the current traffic issues maddening for residents. “A lot more needs to be done before we can rezone or do anything with this land before decisions can be made that are going to impact those who already live there.”
Board members said they were hesitant to approve any project in the area, until traffic issues are addressed.
“I don’t know if [127th Street] can handle the current traffic it already has, much less adding new developments,” said Trustee Brian Wojowski. “It’s the actual area. I don’t think the two-lane road can support that infrastructure with new developments forming… Without the road being widened or us doing something got alleviate the concerns out there, I won’t vote for anything to go on that, that adds a higher density of housing than what’s in the area.”
Pasquinelli did not indicate if there would be a return to the board for approval on a modified plan.