Apartments Get Initial OK from Village Board

A new multi-family housing complex could be coming to Plainfield as early as next spring, now that the has signed off on rezoning  and annexation for the 27-acre site.

Voting 5-1, the board concurred Monday with the village plan commission's endorsement of the for the former property at 23756 127th St., east of Route 59. It could bring an estimated 565 new residents to Plainfield. 

Trustees Dan Rippy, Paul Fay, Jim Racich and Bill Lamb and Mayor Mike Collins voted in favor of the rezoning and directing the village attorney to draft annexation documents. Trustee Garrett Peck voted no and Trustee Margie Bonuchi was absent.

The next step will be the plan commission's review of the preliminary plat and site plan at a meeting tonight.

Continental Properties Co. of Menomonee Falls, Wis., wants to build a deluxe apartment complex that would include a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse, outdoor pool and 3.8-acre park.

Planner Jonathan Proulx, in a report presented to the board, said 80 percent of the units would be one- and two-bedroom units, 10 percent studio apartments and 10 percent three-bedroom units. The developer has estimated that rents would range from $900 to $1,750 per unit, Proulx said.

Although the development site is not contiguous to the village, staff said its annexation represents a logical extension of Plainfield’s boundaries. The property can be linked to the village via an annexation corridor along the rear 300 feet of a vacant parcel of land west of the site, Proulx's report said.

But George Mueller, an attorney for Craig and Judy Haick, who live just north of the proposed development, vehemently disagreed with village staff’s assertions.

“It’s not contiguous at this point,” Mueller said.

The attorney characterized the village’s proposal to “classic strip annexation,” which he said would not survive a judge’s scrutiny.

“Number one, it’s premature … and number two, it’s a bad idea,” Mueller said.

But village Attorney Jim Harvey assured board members that annexation of the vacant property to achieve contiguity with Plainfield’s boundaries “more than meets Illinois law.”

“I’m not concerned,” Harvey said.

Following several minutes of discussion by homeowners, trustees and developers’ representatives, Collins assured those present that there would be plenty of time to hash out plan details before it gets final approval.

“Tonight, we are just asking the attorney to prepare annexation agreements,” Collins said. “This will come before the plan commission again tomorrow night (Tuesday).”

Based on the outcome of the plan commission meeting, a special use permit, preliminary plat and site plan could be up for village board approval at the Dec. 19 meeting.