107-unit ‘urban’ townhome development approved for Crystal Lake

More multifamily housing is coming to Crystal Lake as developers got City Council approval to build more than 100 owner-occupied townhomes near Three Oaks Recreation Area.

In a 5-1 vote this week, the Crystal Lake City Council approved developer Lennar Corp.‘s plans to build 107 units in 20 three-story “urban townhome” buildings called Waterside at Three Oaks. Each unit will have three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, a two-car garage and a balcony, according to city documents. The plan calls for two grassy open-space parks for residents only with an outdoor shelter, playground, grill, seating areas and a path that connects to the Prairie Trail.

The 10.5-acre property, at 775 S. Main St., is adjacent to Three Oaks Recreation Area and the Water’s Edge development that is under construction and will bring 260 apartments and townhome rentals.

The Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended the plan last month. Commissioners showed support for the development, but many indicated they wanted to see more windows on the sides of the buildings, especially the ones that face Main Street. Commissioner Jeff Greenman said either installing taller trees or adding more windows would be preferred.

Developers added more landscaping to the plan since the planning and zoning meeting to accommodate commissioners’ concerns. Richard Murphy of Lennar stayed firm on not adding more windows, saying it does not work with the layout.

“It’s not about the cost of the windows. It really isn’t,” he said. “We really do know what people like and what they don’t like.”

Developers said homeowners prefer fewer windows to have flexibility to place furniture and TVs and there are more windows in the front and back of the homes.

“The buyer does not want windows there,” Richard Olson, managing principal at Gary R. Weber Associates said. “It’s not a cost thing; it’s more of a usability thing.”

Murphy estimated the townhomes will sell for more than $400,000.

The city staff recommended developers extend a sidewalk to the walking path as another access point to the Three Oaks Recreation Area trail and add an upgraded crosswalk at the intersection of Main Street and Berkshire Drive. Construction of the Three Oaks Recreations Area looped trail is currently in progress and is expected to be completed in the next two years, Community Development Director Kathryn Cowlin said.

Council member Cameron Hubbard voted against the project because of concerns about density.

“I just think it’s too much jammed into a little site,” he said. “I just don’t see it as a good fit here and I wouldn’t be for changing the site to such a dense project.”

The development proposes a density of 12.4 units an acre, compared with the city’s ordinance of a maximum of nine units an acre. Parking is nearly double the required amount, with four spaces a unit, a 10-space parking area for guests and 23 on-street spaces, according to city documents.

The “urban development” project was first presented to the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission as a preliminary step in June and was met with positive feedback.

Lennar also developed the Woodlore Estates single-family home and townhouse subdivision near Routes 176 and 31.