$250K settlement will help Yorkville prevent flooding in Whispering Meadows

Currently, there is just a hole in the middle of a field with a piece of pipe in it. But, after a $250,000 investment made possible by a settled lawsuit, the at-risk flood plain in Yorkville’s Whispering Meadows subdivision may finally drain properly and allow full residential development.

With construction slated for later this year, the project, which will design an outflow system to stream rainwaters into the Rob Roy drainage ditch and out toward the Fox River, will not actually make a big dent in the city’s pocketbook.

That’s because the majority of the funding for the project comes from a agreement with the previous developers of the property, TRG Two, LLC. In July, 2024, TRG Two, LLC agreed to pay the city $760,000 regarding the 15-acre property.

The lawsuit stemmed from infrastructure construction on the property that was abandoned by the developers. The property has since sat unfinished since around 2009.

“These are dollars from the settlement that we reached in August last year,” said Yorkville Mayor John Purcell at the Jan. 28 city council meeting. “This is some much needed infrastructure improvement.”

After heavy rains on the property, the area is prone to episodes of flooding and water stagnation. The focus of the project is to engineer a way for the water to drain properly by constructing an outfall, a type of storm sewer, for the property’s stormwater basins.

The city council approved a $26,936 engineering contract with Engineering Enterprises, Inc. to design the storm sewer and connect the passageway to the drainage ditch conduit.

The residential development of the majority of the subdivision is imminent, according to city records.

“We will more than likely have to put some city money towards the storm sewer, because the settlement just won’t cover everything,” said Eric Dhuse, Yorkville’s director of public works. “The most important thing is to help the ponds on the property drain properly. Currently, when there’s heavy rains, the water has nowhere to go and it just sits there. We want to prevent future flooding.”

The city also received a settlement from the property’s other previous partners, Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland in 2018. Fidelity agreed to pay the city $800,000. The funds were used to repair and repave many of the neighborhood’s neglected streets and sidewalks.

To improve the area for residents, the city also recently finished Faxon Road as part of the city’s $3 million 2024 Local Road Program.