It looks like a sleepy, rural community surrounded by cornfields. But it’s about to wake up.
Minooka.
Never heard of it?
Though it’s some 50 miles southwest of the Loop on Interstate Highway 80, it may become a household name. That’s because it is about to become a residential launching pad.
Home builders searching for big tracts of vacant land at reasonable prices finally have discovered Minooka, which straddles three counties — Kendall, Grundy and Will.
Suddenly, the quiet village is so hot that its current population of about 4,000 could triple in the next few years. On the further horizon, the potential is for a population of 30,000 or even 70,000.
“People are starting to call us the `new Naperville,’ ” said Michele Houchens, a Minooka librarian and historian.
Minooka’s first building boom produced a blacksmith shop, a saddlery and two saloons. That was in the 1860s.
Minooka’s second building boom, which is just getting under way, will concentrate on the construction of new houses — thousands of them.
The 15 subdivisions in the pipeline in Minooka, when completed, will result in 3,688 new homes.
“We want to keep a rural feeling, even with growth,” said village President C. Richard Ellis.
He stressed that the village favors controlled growth. “Now most homes are on quarter-acre lots. In the future, we’re looking to lower density, even [to have] estate-type homes.”
Several factors favor Minooka as a future residential hot spot.First, it has plenty of room to grow. It covers 3 square miles now, but its land area could expand to 36 square miles, according to village administrater James Grabowski.
“The village has boundary agreements with Morris and Channahon that will allow future expansion and new residences north and west of downtown,” Ellis said.
Second, Minooka is in the right place. Located in fast-growing southwestern suburbia, it has an I-80 interchange. It can take less than an hour to drive to the Loop when traffic is light.
Major home builders, including Lakewood Homes and Neumann Homes, have announced projects in town.
“Minooka is the next place, the next wave of development,” said Chris Shaxted, executive vice president of Lakewood Homes, based in Hoffman Estates.
Lakewood has opened sales for Lakewood Trails, with 810 homes on 294 acres, the largest new subdivision in Minooka.
While Minooka is looking to a busy future, it also has an interesting past.
It was named by Dolly Smith, an early settler who spoke the Potawatomi language. Because the area was once a favorite tribal hunting ground, she called the town Minooka, which could be translated as “place of contentment, good earth, place of maples or high point” in Potawatomi, according to historian Houchens in her “History of Minooka.”
Minooka got its start as a railroad town. Though it was settled in 1833, it rolled into high gear in 1852 when the Rock Island Line tracks came through. Early railroad workers called the town Summit because it was the highest point in Illinois on the Rock Island.
Minooka has had its other attractions over the decades. In the late 19th Century, a toboggan slide was a draw. Built by A.K. Knapp, a businessman and owner of the lumberyard, the slide could be used, even without snow, because water poured down the slide would freeze.
In the early 20th Century, a racetrack was located at the south edge of town, where the high school is today. On weekends, extra cars were added to interurban trains to bring crowds to the track.
Today, the past is reflected in a scattering of Victorian houses in the old section.
The only high-rises in Minooka are the grain elevators that tower over the railroad tracks and the main street. And that won’t change. All the new developments will be low-rise.
Most of the new subdivisions are along Ridge Road, south of I-80. They include Lakewood Trails, which is planned for a mix of houses and townhouses, 22 acres of woods with a creek, 16 acres of parks, five ponds, a 3,000-square-foot recreation center with outdoor pool and tennis courts and an elementary school site.
Houses range in size from 980 to 2,750 square feet and in price from $119,990 to $181,990. Townhouses of 925 to 1,650 square feet are base-priced from $98,990 to $123,990.
Nine models will open in January 2004, according to Shaxted.
“Minooka may seem far out, but it’s not that far from the south and west suburbs. It has good schools and easy access to expressways for employment and shopping,” he added.
Neumann Homes, based in Warrenville, plans to build Prairie Ridge. It will have 209 houses and 148 townhouses on 125 acres at Ridge and Brannick Roads.
Already under construction is Chestnut Ridge, marked by a gazebo near its entrance. The 93 houses range from 1,407 to 2,870 square feet and are base-priced from $158,990 to $209,990. The 83 townhouses, with 1,045 to 1,305 square feet, are $117,990 to $146,990.
“Minooka is not a household word yet,” said John Barcelona, president of Burr Ridge-based Chestnut Homes, builder of Chestnut Ridge. “It’s on the edge, but no farther out than Huntley,” he said.
Another new development is Ninovan Estates, which has a water skiing lake. Planned for 55 homes, it began last year and the lake has been excavated, according to village administrator Grabowski.
Other subdivisions under way along Ridge include Indian Ridge, a 99-home development by Ryan and Smith; and Reflections at Water’s Edge, a 230-unit project by Ramsey Homes.
Grabowski said a vacant site on Ridge could be developed with another 800 to 1,000 homes.
Not everyone is happy about the impending housing boom.
“I like the small-town atmosphere. That’s why people come here,” said resident Audrey Goldasich.
“Growth should be more controlled. It’s mushrooming too fast. Lots of other residents feel the same way,” she said.
The prospect of higher taxes to pay for services also has her worried: “As a senior, I live on a fixed income. The taxes will eat us alive.”
Kathy Hammen has mixed feelings about growth. A native of Minooka, her father, Ed Norton, owns Cookie’s, a popular local restaurant and bar.
“More new residents will be good for business, but traffic congestion already has increased. It used to be that you knew everybody in town. Now we see lots of strangers,” she said.
Part of Minooka’s appeal is its affordability in comparison with closer-in communities. “You can get more for your money here,” said Kathy Pershey of Clennon Realty. “It’s a nice little town and we like it. But nothing will stop growth,” she said.
New subdivisions started cropping up in the 1990s, and now growth is full speed ahead.
How will growth be managed?
“We’re expanding the sewer system so that its capacity will double by 2005,” said Grabowski. “We’re also in the process of selecting the location for a new water well.”
He added that the police and public works staffs will have to be increased as the village grows.
“New devlopment should pay for itself. Existing residents shouldn’t have to pay for it,” Grabowski said.
Projected industrial growth should help to balance the tax base. Because of Minooka’s easy access to the interstate, it already has 2.5 million square feet of industrial buildings, including a new 1.2 million-square-foot Kellogg distribution plant, according to Grabowski.
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Minooka
Population, 2000
3,971, up 55.1% from 1990
Demographics
White — 96.1%
Black — 0.2%
Hispanic — 2.8%
Asian — 0.3%
Median household income: $75,249
Average commute: 28 minutes
