The Elburn Village Board this week agreed to withdraw opposition to a proposed development on its southern border in exchange for a 1-acre well site and a decrease in the project’s density.
Elburn has no direct control over the development because it is slated for a 40.8-acre site in unincorporated Kane County. But Village President James Willey said the village’s support will help developer Martin Farm Partners get approval from the county’s Zoning Board.
“They’ll be able to say Elburn has signed off on it, and that will definitely help it move forward,” Willey said.
Martin Farm Partners had originally proposed building 40 homes on 1-acre lots, some of which would back onto Blackberry Creek. The developer now plans to build 17 homes on larger lots that stop between 200 and 300 feet north of the creek.
“We want to have a green belt along the creek that will protect the watershed from development,” Willey said.
Illinois State Geological Survey staff members chose the well site as being the best place to tap into shallow aquifers, Willey said. The village probably won’t install a well there for at least 10 years, if ever, he added.
The land will be used as a park until officials decide to sink the well.