After two years of talks, Mokena officials and developers proposing a residential subdivision south of U.S. Highway 30 still cannot reach an agreement.
The need to improve Owens Road remains an obstacle to Patrick O’Donnell’s proposed Devon Dale subdivision.
O’Donnell’s plan calls for 53 single-family homes on 72 acres south of the Old Plank Road Trail and west of Owens Road.
Trustees in a work session earlier this month turned thumbs down on a proposal that called for funding the road work with a combination of developer contributions, waivers of village fees and special assessments on some property owners.
Most trustees objected to making a village contribution to the cost of improvements, which has been estimated between $500,000 and $700,000.
“I don’t see the village putting money in a development,” Trustee Frank Fleischer said. “I am not going to sit here and pick up a problem for us that we have to take care of later on.”
“I don’t see this as a win-win situation,” Trustee Mike Everett said. “If the developer can’t pick up these fees and do it right, I think we have to put it on hold.”