Fox Valley neighbors North Aurora and Batavia could be pitted against one another in a border war over a proposed housing development.
Tensions arose recently when North Aurora began considering specific plans to develop a single-family subdivision on the Jones Farm, which covers about 124 acres and straddles Mooseheart Road, the north-south border between the villages on their western edge.
North Aurora two years ago entered a pre-annexation agreement with the New Jersey-based Ocean Atlantic developers. That agreement calls for North Aurora to annex the entire subdivision, even though about 30 acres are in the Batavia planning area.
In addition to being concerned about an annexation plan that would appear to violate the boundary agreement, Batavia has expressed concern about the density of the project.
“Things are going to be heating up,” Mayor Jeff Schielke said at a recent Batavia City Council meeting.
As the North Aurora Plan Commission considers the final plans, the Batavia City Council has hired attorney Rory Weiler to handle the issue. Weiler, a former Batavia alderman, said Batavia officials would like to settle the matter through negotiation.
“We’ve historically had a good relationship with North Aurora, and I’m sure everyone wants to keep it that way,” Weiler said. “Litigation is the least attractive option and last resort.”
North Aurora Village Administrator Robert L. Nelis Sr. said his village has requested a modification in the boundary agreement between the two municipalities to accommodate the development.
“I don’t think Batavia is keen on that idea right now,” he added.
Weiler said he hopes to sit down with North Aurora officials and work something out. Of primary concern, he said, is density of the development, which envisions about two houses per acre.
A development in Batavia to the north is zoned for estate lots, which have one house on each 2 1/2 acres, a standard Batavia would like to see maintained in the area, he said. He suggested Batavia might be amenable to a change in the annexation agreement if the zoning standard were maintained.
Nelis said the development has not yet received final approval and recently hit a snag. At a Plan Commission meeting, officials sent the developer back to the drawing board after Ocean Atlantic included nine cul-de-sacs in its plan. North Aurora wants to limit the cul-de-sacs, which hamper access by emergency vehicles, to five, Nelis said.
As proposed, Ocean Atlantic would build 124 houses on 68 acres north of Orchard Road where it curves east, and 143 houses would be built on 56 acres south of Orchard, Nelis said.
