147 Homes, 54 Acres, New Joliet Subdivision: DR Horton Plans New Homes Near County Line Road

JOLIET, IL — Joliet's new deputy city manager Nolan Ming got off to a rough start when his recommendation in September to build a new gas station and car wash next to the CarMax was yanked off the City Council meeting agenda after receiving stiff opposition. Tonight, Ming will be at it again, this time pitching plans to more subdivision housing, this time near County Line Road and Van Dyke Road.

On Monday night's agenda, Ming will talk about an ordinance seeking approval for the final planned unit development of Neustoneshire Phase Two.

According to Ming's outline of the project, the petitioner and homebuilder, D.R. Horton Inc. - Midwest, requests approval of Neustoneshire Phase Two, located north of Van Dyke Road and west of County Line Road. In April, the City Council approved the Preliminary Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two. The Final PUD is substantially similar to the approved Preliminary PUD, Ming explained.

He said the proposed subdivision consists of 147 single-family lots on approximately 54 acres with single-family residential zoning. The proposed house plans include two-story models with living areas between 2,000 and 2,600 square feet and one-story models with living areas between 1,500 and 1,770 square feet.

Storm detention for the subdivision will be on the south side of the property, adjacent to Van Dyke Road. There will be no park site within the subdivision, as the Joliet Park District has requested a cash contribution in lieu of a park land dedication.

Ming noted that the site was annexed and zoned R-1B in 2004 as part of the original Neustoneshire subdivision that was to include the 162 acres west of County Line Road between Theodore Street and Van Dyke Road.

The original subdivision proposal was for 411 single-family lots that would be constructed in three phases. However, only Phase One was recorded and developed: NeuStoneshire Phase One is located directly south of Theodore Street and contains 146 developed single-family lots and two storm detention areas, city of Joliet documents reflect.

The 54-acre subject site contains the land that would have been Phase Two, located north of Van Dyke Road and east of Lakewood Prairie Subdivision. Phase Three would have been the property at the northwest corner of County Line Road and Van Dyke Road, which is under separate ownership from the subject site and not part of this petition.

Ming pointed out that the proposed house plans include five models: three two-story models with ten total elevations, and two one-story models with eight total elevations. The two-story homes will have approximately 2,000 to 2,600 square feet of living area and include four to five bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The one-story models will have either 1,500 or 1,770 square feet of living area and contain either three or four bedrooms. All models will include an attached two-car garage. The proposed homes are compatible with the existing homes in the surrounding residential subdivisions. NeuStoneshire Phase One contains mostly two-story homes with two- to three-car garages, as well as some one-story homes.