Joliet council to vote on housing plan on land mayor owns

Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy walked out of the room a few times at a City Council meeting Monday as questions arose over a subdivision being built on land where he is a part-owner.

The mayor apparently wanted to keep out of the public discussion of the project that goes to a council vote on Tuesday.

“The mayor has to excuse himself out of an abundance of caution when we discuss this matter,” City Manager Beth Beatty said at one point, explaining D’Arcy’s comings and goings at a meeting over which he presides.

The council votes on plans and rezoning that need city approval for the Prairie Landing subdivision to move ahead.

While no one at the Monday meeting mentioned D’Arcy’s financial interest in the deal, the mayor has previously acknowledged that he now is part-owner of the land that would be sold for the Prairie Landing development. He also has said he would recuse himself from voting on the matter.

Home builder DR Horton plans to build 120 homes on the 44-acre site located at 2200 Essington Road and adjacent to the D’Arcy Motors car dealership.

The site also is bordered by the Picardy and Warwick subdivisions.

Two residents of the neighboring subdivisions came to ask questions about the project, prompting D’Arcy’s departure from the chambers when they spoke.

Mary Simeone, a Picardy resident, said she was concerned about the impact on drainage problems, noting that her basement has been damaged twice by severe flooding.

Simeone acknowledged that the developer has a plan to relieve flooding.

“But what if that doesn’t happen?” Siomeone asked the council. “Is there a contingency plan?”

Councilman Larry Hug, who represents the area and lives nearby, said he supports the project in part because DR Horton is creating flood relief for the Picardy subdivision as it develops Prairie Landing.

The plan includes the installation of pipes designed to drain stormwater that now flows into the Picardy subdivision so that it instead will flow into a detention basin being created for Prairie Landing.

Hug also noted that the city zoning for the site currently allows for a partial multifamily development, while DR Horton is asking for rezoning so it can build all single-family.

Multifamily zoning, which allows for apartments, often faces opposition from neighbors.

“What they’re asking us to do is turn it all into single-family,” Hug said.

The other resident raising questions was Maria Lech, who was concerned about losing a line of trees.

It was not clear what may happen to Lech’s trees.

But Councilwoman Jan Quillman said she was in favor of keeping the trees in place.

“She wants to keep her trees for privacy,” Quillman said. “I don’t blame her for that.”