Commissioners Have Concerns About Proposed Housing Development

A Schamburg corporation wants to develop 155 new housing units in Glenview, on 27 acres of vacant land that's currently owned by the U.S. Navy.

Representatives of Pulte Home Corp. addressed the Village of Glenview Plan Commission  Tuesday, April 26 in what may be the first of several meetings about the application.

Commission Chairman Steven Bucklin noted Tuesday's meeting was "a workshop-type meeting only" with commissioners having no intention of voting on the project, named Regency at the Glen.

Instead, commissioners voiced potential concerns about the development after hearing an introduction of the project from Jeff Brady, Director of Planning.

The development, which would be located at 2101 Saipan Drive, would include 41 dupex units along the northern portion of the property and 114 rowhome units along the southern part of the property. Proposed pricing for the rowhomes is $325,000 to $375,000, and the duplex residences would be priced from $425,00 to$475,000.

Issues about fiscal impact to the village, traffic and access to the property were not to be discussed Tuesday, Brady said. Commissioners spoke instead about the site plans and landscaping.

One recurring problem commissioners have identified so far is the density and the lack of green space involved in the property's plan.

"I guess my reaction overall and my biggest scope issue is that this looks packed too full, in terms of the site," said Commissioner Peter Brinckerhoff during Tuesday's meeting.

Commissioner Linda Witt agreed. She also mentioned that dimensions of the proposed project don't match design guidelines for developments in The Glen, including setbacks and roofs.

"You have met very few of those [guidelines]," she told Pulte Homes representative Mark Masterocco. "...You don't seem to have followed them at all."

Masterocco responded his company understands they need to meet the guidelines. However, he added, "This particular site has some unique conditions that other [sites] in The Glen did not have...these are all factors we have in the development to ensure that it's a marketable development."

The company will consider the issues raised by the concerns at a May 24 public hearing, Chairman Bucklin said.

"I'm excited that it looks like they're going to pursue this and come back, hopefully taking the commissioners' comments into consideration," Bucklin said.