After the Palatine village council rejected a townhouse development proposal several months ago, a revised plan with fewer proposed units has met with early approval from most town leaders.
But Councilman Tim Millar, whose district includes the site of the proposed development, said he still had reservations about the plan.
“I just didn’t think the style of the property fit the neighborhood,” Millar said.
Millar was the only council member to vote against preliminary approval of the new plan on Feb. 16, said Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz. The project includes 24 town houses to be built on North Quentin Road near Palatine Road.
In November, council members rejected a request from Lexington Homes to build 28 units, saying the proposal was too dense for the site. They also raised concerns about traffic cutting through the neighborhood and said the developer had not included enough parking, according to minutes from a Nov. 17 meeting.
Residents of nearby town homes expressed concern at the November meeting about the size of the buildings in the proposed development, according to the meeting minutes. Some said they thought the new townhouse could block the view from existing units.
The latest Palatine plan is expected to include units starting around $330,000, said Bill Rotolo, a vice president at Lexington Homes. The height of the buildings is slightly lower than originally proposed, and developers changed the layout of some of the streets.
The development will replace a commercial parking lot and two houses.
“It’s a huge improvement” over the parking lot, Rotolo said.
But Millar isn’t sure. Though he appreciates the changes to the proposal, Millar said, they weren’t enough. The buildings still would be massive, he said.
“It looked kind of like a big barn,” Millar said.
Lexington Homes officials will come before the council for final project approval in the spring.
Twitter @srfreish
