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Huntley officials didn’t respond favorably to a rental duplex development proposed near the Fieldstone and Wing Pointe subdivisions. The proposed duplex development would be near the Ruth Road/Huntley-Dundee Road intersection, south of the Fieldstone subdivision and north of the Wing Pointe subdivision. The developer, Cleveland-based Stark Enterprises, proposed a 120-unit, 60-building duplex development. The duplexes would be rental and market rate. Amenities for the project would include a clubhouse, pool, sports courts and dog park, Huntley Director of Development Services Charlie Nordman said. The duplex sizes would range from 1,175 square feet for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit to 1,376 square feet for a three-bedroom, two-bath unit. The complex would have two entrances off Huntley-Dundee Road, one aligning with Kinney Way from the Fieldstone subdivision and a second to the west of that. Ruth Road ends at Huntley-Dundee Road, but the village has right of way for Ruth Road south of the intersection, Nordman said. He added staff told the developer if they move ahead with the project to evaluate an access point off Ruth Road rather than Huntley-Dundee Road. The duplexes would have two-car garages in the front and a carriage walk on one side of the street. The proposal doesn’t address pedestrian or bicycle accommodations on Huntley-Dundee Road, which would have to happen if the project moves forward. The plans didn’t include a neighborhood park, which some Village Board members had an issue with when they received a courtesy review of the plans Thursday. Travis Gensley of Stark Enterprises said the company aims to “foster a sense of community” among residents and integrate into the existing community. Gensley said the development would appeal to a range of people, including young professionals; essential workers such as nurses, police officers, firefighters and school teachers; and empty-nesters and retirees who don’t want or need a single-family home. He said the company is a long-term holder of its communities. Julianne Greco, Stark Enterprises’ design director, said the buildings have feel similar to single-family homes, and the company tried to vary the project’s elevations and styles to avoid being cookie-cutter. Nordman said the development would require a change to the village’s recently adopted comprehensive plan, which calls for single-family residences on that site. But most of the Village Board members indicated they weren’t happy with the potential change to the comprehensive plan. Village President Tim Hoeft said he didn’t support the change after all the time and money the village put into it. He said Stark was the second developer “in as many months” to ask for a change in the comprehensive plan. “That’s not a good thing. I know staff has told you that,” and that some of the designs don’t meet expectations, Hoeft said. Plans for a proposed Redwood apartment complex the board reviewed in September also would have involved changing the comprehensive plan. The Village Board was not supportive of that proposal, either. Trustee John Piwko called the proposed designs “kind of boring” and voiced other concerns. “We do need rentals, but not like this,” Piwko said. Trustee Don Walz said he wanted to see sidewalks on both sides and a multi-use path on Huntley-Dundee Road, saying that was important to residents. He also said the development should have an entrance off Ruth Road. Trustee Ric Zydorowicz said he said short of coming back with a single-family proposal, he didn’t think he could support it. “I don’t want rental property in that location, period,” he said. Trustee JR Westberg said he lives nearby and that he’d like to see the developer come back with something else. “I don’t like the fact there’s no park in there,” Westberg said of the proposed development, adding he could envision children cutting through the townhouses in Wing Pointe’s backyards to get to the park in that subdivision. “I didn’t get really jazzed about the product.”
