When a developer approached Prairie Grove officials last year with plans to build a golf club community of homes, one of McHenry County’s youngest and tiniest municipalities began to prepare for its population to quadruple.
But officials of the Del Webb Group of Pulte Homes announced this week they are bowing out of the deal–news that has left the village’s 960 residents relieved or disappointed.
“I felt they would have been good neighbors,” said Kit Davies, a longtime resident who spearheaded the campaign to incorporate the village in 1973. “We have a nice village and we have been very careful not to pack it with a high density of people.”
“Frankly, I’m a little relieved,” resident Barbara McCreary said. “I just feel that there were a lot of unknowns. We’re trying with all our might to retain our rural atmosphere, and I think it would have totally been taken away by something of that magnitude.”
Located north of Crystal Lake, Prairie Grove has worked hard to keep suburban sprawl at bay. In 1973 the village incorporated to keep a gravel pit out of its community. Since then, developers have come in but have built mostly upscale homes on large lots.
Del Webb had an option to purchase about 1,000 acres between Illinois Highway 31 and Barreville Road, and announced plans in August 2000 for a “country club” community of upscale homes around a lake and golf course.
But the developer never presented formal plans to the village.
Village President Susan Friedman said she wasn’t for or against the project because she didn’t have enough information.
“We saw a mild concept that didn’t include densities or enough information to use as a good base to make a decision,” she said.
Although the future of the property remains uncertain, Prairie Grove officials said they will continue working with urban land use planners. The land, as zoned, could accommodate about 2,000 homes.
Unlike Del Webb’s Sun City development in Huntley, the company’s first cold-weather retirement community, the Prairie Grove development would have been open to all ages.
Bob Eck, regional vice president of land planning for Del Webb, said Tuesday that the company had to prioritize its projects and decided its resources were needed at Sun City in Huntley and at Grand Haven, a community in Romeoville.
“We love the property. There are no property constraints that would have prohibited us from moving forward,” Eck said. “We feel it’s a great fit for Prairie Grove. Given different circumstances and different timing, this is a project we would love to go forward with.”
Earlier this year, in one of the biggest housing-industry takeovers, Pulte Homes bought Phoenix-based Del Webb Corp. for $1.8 billion. Del Webb continues to operate as the Del Webb Group of Pulte Homes.
Eck acknowledged that since the merger, Del Webb has had more options and opportunities to consider.
“When you look at prioritization of where you want to put your capital, we know we have a little bit of a unique task to look at it as a combined company now,” he said.
Eck said he hoped to leave the door open on purchasing the property, but officials of Terra Cotta Realty Co., which owns the largest portion of the land , said other developers already have lined up.
“We are in contact and are meeting with other potential developers for that property,” said Bob Berry, president of Terra Cotta.
