‘Problematic’: Cary zoning board delays vote on luxury apartment complex

Zoning commissioners have asked builders of a proposed luxury mixed-use development in Cary to come back with clearer details on traffic and property value impacts after a vote on the project was delayed until August.

The proposal, called Seasons at Cary, includes almost five acres of commercial space and 360 units of what’s been described as luxury rental housing with a pool house, pickleball courts and other amenities, located east of Route 31, south of the Walmart Supercenter in Crystal Lake and north of Hoffman Park.

Milwaukee-based Fiduciary Real Estate Development was met with rigorous questioning Thursday at the village’s Zoning, Planning and Appeals board meeting, which was continued after it went over three hours. Chairman Patrick Khoury asked developers to come back with an independent review on potential effects on property values and a traffic study that would specifically analyze the impacts of the proposed New Haven Road extension.

“We need objective information,” Khoury said. “It’s difficult to come to a finding of fact with insufficient information. Knowing full well that right now tonight the traffic study is silent on anything east of Cary-Algonquin Road is problematic all by itself.”

For now, the meeting is continued to Aug. 21. If developers still need more time, the meeting could be delayed again and the village will post the new date, Community Development Director Brian Simmons said.

A conceptual review for the plan, whose footprint totals about 37 acres on the former Damisch Farm property, received an enthusiastic green light from the Cary Village Board in December. In the months since the conceptual plans were proposed, nearby residents have been pushing back against the development, specifically opposing the northern access point that would extend New Haven Drive west to Route 31 with a full intersection. Opponents say that it would disrupt their community.

Some adjustments have been made to the conceptual plan revealed in December after developers met with neighboring residents at an open house meeting in April. Developers decreased the total apartment units by 36, eliminated the dog park, moved the grilling station away from existing residences, removed an access point to Hoffman Park and removed the connection to Walmart, according to village documents.

One of the biggest changes is that the stormwater pond was moved to the east, creating a larger buffer between the development and existing residents, from the previous 50 feet to now 159 feet.

But the main concern of existing residents – the road extension – remains in the plans. Developers have cited the fact the extension was recommended in the village’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan. The proposed traffic light at what would be the new intersection of New Haven Drive and Route 31 is still pending approval by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Fiduciary Development Vice President Tony DeRosa said.

“There’s just going to be a lot of traffic,” Khoury said. “In my opinion, what’s going to happen is that New Haven Drive is going to become the new version of West Main Street and it’s going to create a lot of volume of traffic and probably have unintended consequences and it’s because you’re asking for it.”

Residents in the Cambria neighborhood have safety concerns about more cars and note there is a lot of foot traffic along the winding road.

“If you do this, you’re going to forever change our little safe sanctity of a neighborhood, and once you do it, there’s no going back,” Chris Negoda said. “Opening up New Haven – no need for it. Please don’t do it."

Public comments will also continue at the next meeting.

Traffic “calming measures” could be put into place on New Haven Drive to deter through traffic, like barriers, pavement markings, narrower driving lanes and narrower roads at crosswalks, Simmons said.

Questions from residents were raised on why the road extension has been floated. DeRosa said both Fiduciary and the village back it.

“We would like the connection,” he said. “We think it improves the overall value of the development.”

Some residents also raised concerns over the influx of rental units in the village, with multiple apartment developments pending construction completion or village board approval.

“When people rent, they are less likely to put down deep roots, and deep roots are essential to further the growth of a community,” Cindy Doetsch said.

Developers estimate that the new apartments could bring in about 35 students to District 47 and about 12 students to District 155, some of whom might already attend those districts, according to village documents.

Developers plan to construct a total of 20 apartment buildings with 18 units each over the course of two phases. Market-rate rent for the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are expected to range from $1,600 to $2,900 per month, DeRosa said.

The plan boasts economic benefits to the village, such as an estimated $1.46 million in property tax value increases and $3 million in impact fee revenues, according to village documents. Developers also estimate that over 10 years, the new residents could add nearly $40 million in consumer spending to the local economy.

Ultimately, the zoning commissioners’ vote is only a recommendation to the village board, where the final decision will be made.

“They take very seriously, I think, what this committee recommends,” Khoury said. “At the end of the day, the buck stops with them.”