Plainfield housing development on former Keller Farm slowly building up

A 153-acre housing development project located at the corner of Lockport Street and Wallin Drive in Plainfield is beginning to see progress.

The Keller Farm development will include four housing types, comprising 322 single-family homes – with age-targeted single-family ranch homes and two distinct series of conventional single-family homes – and 83 townhomes in 18 buildings.

The property also will include two parks, one to the north and one to the south; an extensive network of multi-use paths and walking trails; a 9-acre commercial development; and outlots for stormwater management.

However, for at least this summer, Keller’s Farmstands, which has a location in Naperville as well as its farm in Oswego, and which had farmed the site since 1993, will return to sell corn and other vegetables to the community on the property.

Per the agreement, the developer Lennar Corp. – one of the nation’s largest homebuilders – is responsible for improving Wallin Drive to a three-lane cross-section with center turn lanes.

Initial grading to the site has begun, said Jake Melrose, economic development director with the village of Plainfield.

In addition, construction of the required Wallin Drive widening and improvements is projected to begin no later than next spring, he said.

Developing the land, which previously was in unincorporated Will County, was first proposed by Lennar Corp. to Plainfield’s Plan Commission in January 2022.

John McFarland with Lennar said at a 2023 Plainfield Plan Commission meeting that the developer over time adjusted the plan based on considerations from the Plainfield Park District, Plainfield School District 202 and neighboring residents.

Based on feedback, changes were made to townhome location and style; park space and open space were linked and expanded; and native landscaping was added.

“We believe the additional population and the variety of the population will be great for businesses in downtown Plainfield,” McFarland said.

The plans received the go-ahead from the Plainfield Village Board in September 2023 based on the unanimous recommendation of the Plainfield Plan Commission.

At the time of the vote, Plainfield Village President John Argoudelis said: “The general view is that housing can be problematic in a community. Out of all the traffic studies we see, housing is the No. 1 contributor of high traffic rates.”

Going forward, he said, “We need to focus on varying types of housing that fit a need in our community” and “diversifying our tax base” with the addition of more commercial development.

However, Argoudelis conceded that the land for this development is surrounded by other housing developments.

“It is only a matter of time before it would have become homes,” he said.