Algonquin approves plan for 249-home subdivision

A subdivision with 99 single-family homes and 150 townhouses near Westfield Community School is moving forward in Algonquin.

Homebuilding company Lennar is looking to transform about 80 vacant acres into a new subdivision called Algonquin Meadows. The property is north of Longmeadow Parkway, west of Westfield Community School, south of the Willoughby Farms subdivision and east of Randall Road.

The Algonquin Village Board approved the plan in a 6-0 vote Tuesday. The village’s planning and zoning commission unanimously recommended the proposal in April.

Under the plan, the single-family-home density would be about 1.9 homes per acre, and the townhouses would be about 5.6 units per acre, which is consistent with the density and size of the neighboring Willoughby Farms subdivision, Lennar representative John McFarland said.

Developers do not have a community park in the plan, but the village requested that Lennar pay a fee to support the nearby Willoughby Farms Park, Algonquin Deputy Community Development Director Patrick Knapp said. Algonquin staff plans to create a master plan for the park this year, ahead of planned renovations in 2027, he said.

The proposed subdivision will be 33% open space, including four “naturalized” stormwater basins and a 100-foot-wide “conservation corridor” to the west, McFarland said.

Construction could start by this fall, he added.

The homes are to be built in three models, with prairie, craftsman and modern farmhouse styles, McFarland said. The townhouses and single-family homes all are expected to be for sale in a price range of $375,000 to $650,000.

Lennar recently developed the single-family-home community of 150 houses called Westview Crossing located off Square Barn Road. Lennar already has sold 50 homes since construction was completed last year, McFarland said.

Developers also are working directly with Community Community Unit District 300 to create a connecting private access road to Westfield School, according to village documents. Trustee Laura Brehmer said she would like to see a revised traffic study if the road were to be accessible to parents, rather than just buses.

Some residents spoke out against the project last week. They said it could affect traffic, especially along Algonquin and Randall roads, which are “already backed up,” resident Stephanie Lesko said.

“It feels like residents are crammed and shoved in the village with the more properties going up,” she added.

A traffic study concluded that the project would not have a significant influence on local traffic, according to village documents.