A developer’s plan to build a subdivision on land bordered by a scenic wetland and a flood plain has residents asking Crystal Lake officials to prevent any further construction near their homes.
Residential Development Group, a Crystal Lake corporation, is proposing single-family homes on 166 lots on the site, which is bordered on the west by a flood plain, on the south by wetland areas and on the east by the Four Colonies subdivision.
Robert Obodzinski, who lives north of the proposed development, said his sump pump is constantly in operation. On one occasion, it broke down and his wife and children had to bail out his basement while he went to the hardware store to buy a new pump.
He said he worries that more building will cause flooding. He also believes the city would be giving away its signature attributes: a quaint community on the shores of a lake surrounded by pastures.
“This is a beautiful area,” Obodzinski said. “It is scenery, water and wildlife. This development will ruin it.”
The Crystal Lake City Council recently approved preliminary plans for a 105-acre development proposed for the northeast corner of Huntley and Ackman Roads. The proposal has been sent to the Army Corps of Engineers. Council members said they do not have the expertise to determine what portions of the property are suitable for building.
James D. Coughlin, vice president of the construction company, said he needed approval of the preliminary plan to get to the next phase of development, which is the issuing of permits and a study by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Mayor Robert J. Wagner, who cast a dissenting vote at the council meeting, said engineers from the construction company should sit down with the city’s engineer to come to an agreement on data regarding storm water management.
“I don’t know why we have a city engineer,” Wagner told council members. “We should let him do his job. We might as well get rid of our engineering department and let the Army Corps handle all our engineering problems.”
Area residents who attended the council meeting strongly opposed the plan, voicing concerns about flooding.
Bruce Deemer, who lives just north of the site, said the plan is better than the one the construction company submitted last year, which showed 222 lots. The company pared down that plan, eliminating town homes and villas which were to be built on a flood plain.
The developer is to donate 41 acres to the park district, 11 acres of which are usable for recreation.
But council member Howie Christensen said: “The owner of a property is entitled to use it as it is zoned. This area is zoned residential. He should be able to build houses on it.”
Much discussion at the council meeting centered around a map drawn by a resident who is a mechanical engineer. The map depicts low, soggy areas to the south along Ackman Road. Wagner said the map was a fair representation of the area, and he said the developer might run into trouble on the south portion of the site.
However, the engineer for the developer disagreed, saying the map presented by the resident was a crude depiction and inaccurate.
“(They) can put anything on a map,” said Donald Dressel, of Burke Engineering. Dressel said he believes the Army Corps will approve building on all 166 lots.
Councilman Tom Hayden said if there is a problem with construction on the land, the “Army Corps will not permit this development to happen.”
“I’ve lived here three years,” said Ken Bolin, a resident who lives north of the proposed development. “The quality of life has already diminished . . . You have to draw the line. Just say enough building is enough.”
