A controversial housing plan for the 430-acre Roney Farm, which had been rejected by Wauconda two years ago, is being revived by its developer, village officials confirmed Wednesday.
The proposed Roney Farm development would create one of the biggest subdivisions in central Lake County and could increase Wauconda’s population of 6,300 by as many as 2,500 residents, said Village President James Eschenbauch.
The new plan still is in early discussion stages, Wauconda officials say. Last week, Arlington Heights-based C&H Development Corp. gave the village a $2,500 check to begin a technical review of their plan.
The proposal calls for 849 “upscale” single-family homes and a golf course on the site, which is east of Gilmer and Gossell Roads in unincorporated Wauconda Township, said C&H Vice President Jack Dishman.
Village officials in 1992 voted down a proposal for an 805-unit development amid concerns that it would create traffic nightmares and burden the local school system with students. But this time, C&H officials say their timing coincides with Wauconda’s new pro-growth agenda.
“A lot of change has happened in the village itself,” said Dishman, who explained that the village’s latest revision of its comprehensive plan calls for expansion into the Roney Farm area.
Already, emotions are heating up among neighbors over whether the Roney Farm should be developed.
On one side, Eschenbauch said he’s in favor of putting housing on the farm for the tax dollars it could bring to his village.
“People right now say the taxes of Wauconda are too high, and we’re doing something about that,” Eschenbauch said.
He said he would support the C&H plan if, through such measures as developer donations to fund local schools, “we could work it out so it could be for the better for Wauconda.”
But on the other side stand angry residents and some politicians, who say dense development would destroy Wauconda’s rural quality.
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“I think we should do all we can to keep the character of the area,” said state Rep. Al Salvi (R-Wauconda). “We can’t let allow this patchwork of unbridled growth to go on.”
Though he hasn’t seen the latest plans for Roney Farm, Salvi said he would oppose development partly because an influx of new school students would create a tremendous burden for local taxpayers.
Lake County Board member Edward Fojtik (R-Fox Lake), said he would be “dead against” development of the Roney Farm.
“There is a lot of wetland on that property that would have to be protected,” Fojtik said.
Eschenbauch, however, said the development would fit well with the village’s plan to increase its residential and industrial population.
He said the community’s comprehensive plan has room for the 849 housing units the project entails. Wauconda’s revised growth plan could be approved in about a month, opening the way for Roney Farm development, Eschenbauch said.
As for concerns over density and saturating the school system, Eschenbauch said C&H would be required to make donations to local school districts, while the village would seek to have U.S. Highway 12 and Gilmer Road widened to handle the increased traffic.
Even if the plan wins their support, village trustees can still expect to get an earful from residents who want to see Wauconda stay small.
“If (developers) get what they want, it’s going to be terrible,” said Rickie Scheckel, who said she moved with her husband, Mike, to Wauconda in 1987 to avoid congestion and suburban sprawl.
Scheckel, who lives a few blocks from the Roney Farm site, said, “I didn’t want it (developed) in 1992, and I still don’t want it. Look at all the traffic. You can’t even move around in downtown Wauconda unless you know the back roads.”