Single-family homes added to mix in once-rejected residential plan in Lake Zurich
A previously rejected plan for a residential development in southeastern Lake Zurich has been scaled back and revised to include single-family homes.
Representatives for OSK Capital Partners LLC, the contract purchaser of about 9 acres between Old Rand and Buesching roads, will present the latest plan during a public hearing Wednesday before the village’s advisory planning and zoning commission.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. at village hall, 70 E. Main St., and can be viewed online at lakezurich.org.
The new concept is substantially different from that recommended by the panel but ultimately rejected by the village board in January 2023, when Highland Park-based OSK was seeking approvals for 50 townhouses in 12 buildings.
Village trustees at the time said questions concerning building design and wetlands among others had not been substantially addressed.
OSK returned last July with a plan for 40 units in 11 buildings. But a majority of the board remained wary of the density and potential impact on that area.
The redesigned site calls for a mix of 20 townhouses in five buildings and 18 detached single-family homes.
Besides a variety of townhouses and single-family homes, the proposed development contains features that will benefit the project and surrounding neighborhood, according to the application.
The townhouses would be on the interior of the development or along Rand Road — away from neighboring homes — and the single-family homes would be built along Buesching Road across from existing single-family homes, according to the plan.
Also envisioned are a pedestrian path connecting Old Rand and Buesching roads; improving on-site wetlands; orienting the front doors of homes to the development’s main road with single-family homes backing up to wetlands; and a landscaping buffer and fencing between the project and property to the south.
The village’s community development department staff members determined all standards have, or will, be met and recommended approval subject to 16 conditions, including landscaping, screening and sidewalks in particular areas.
All streets in the subdivision will be private, and a homeowners association must be created to own and maintain them, according to the conditions.
Planning staff members said the piece of land between Buesching and Old Rand roads is developed with similar types of medium to higher density housing and a variety of commercial and industrial uses.
The development provides a transition from the higher-intensity commercial and industrial uses to the north and the lower-density residential uses along Buesching and Old Rand roads, and it provides options for empty nesters and first-time homebuyers, according to village staff members.