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Developers present McHenry Meadows concept; council expresses mixed views on 3‑story apartments
Summary
Developers proposed 100 owner‑occupied townhomes and 96 apartment units for the Chapel site; council members supported townhomes but raised concerns about three‑story apartments, stormwater detention and traffic, and directed staff to continue discussions with the developers.
Developers presented a conceptual plan for the site commonly called the Chapel property at Bow Valley Road and Crystal Lake Road proposing 100 owner-occupied townhomes and four three‑story apartment buildings totaling 96 units.
Deepak Patel, representing the McHenry Meadows proposal, explained the concept and noted the developers had consolidated multiple parcels to make the project feasible. “We are planning to put 100 townhomes and 96 apartment buildings,” Patel said.
Council members generally signaled support for owner-occupied townhomes but raised repeated objections to the three‑story apartments. Several aldermen said they would prefer two‑story ownership units instead of multi‑story rental buildings. Alderman Bassi said the project should avoid unnecessary spending given anticipated large costs tied to the Route 31 project and said she would vote no on the UDO earlier; others raised neighborhood impacts and construction traffic concerns.
Engineering and drainage were frequent concerns. A council member said, “I don't see enough detention here,” referencing prior localized drainage problems in nearby subdivisions and saying the site’s detention basin should be studied further. Staff and developers said they were coordinating detention and that the site plan is conceptual and will change to meet engineering, fire access and other standards.
The developers said townhomes would include two‑car garages and additional driveway parking; the apartment parking proposal showed 74 spaces for the apartment buildings. When asked if the apartments could be two‑story instead of three, a developer said, “I don't think so. It wouldn't be feasible for us economically.”
After public comments — including a listing agent who said the parcels had been on the market for years and a resident urging more study — the council directed staff to continue conversations with the McHenry Meadows developers and to return with revised concepts that address the council's feedback.
