Developer seeks feedback on proposed 150–158-unit rental townhome community at Galena Boulevard and Route 56

Redwood representatives presented a concept plan to the Village of Sugar Grove for a rental townhome subdivision at the northeast corner of Galena Boulevard and Route 56, saying the project would include roughly 150 townhome units on about 32 acres (the presenter later referenced anticipating approximately 158 homes).

Paul Decry, representing Redwood, said the company is a long-term owner and manager of rental communities and stressed their operating model: “we are a long term owner. We have over 20,000 homes, that we've built, since '91, and we have never sold 1 that we built,” he said. Decry and civil engineer Anthony Fulkowski (SEMCON) presented site imagery, unit floor plans and data on resident demographics and maintenance practices.

Why it matters: the proposal would change the parcel’s use and would require the developer to file formal applications for rezoning and required preliminary and final approvals if it proceeds. Trustees and residents concentrated questions on traffic, school enrollments, fire and life-safety measures, private maintenance of streets and snow removal, and impacts on adjacent single-family neighborhoods.

Key details and developer commitments - Units and site: Redwood initially described “150 townhome units on approximately 32 acres,” later showing an anticipated figure of about 158 homes (about 4.9–5 units per acre) and noting roughly 63.2% of the site as open space. The plan includes two ponds and a north-end path connection to an existing trail. - Product type: single-story, two-bedroom/two-bath units with two-car garages and den (unit sizes shown ~1,300–1,600 sq ft). Decry said the company aims at an older resident profile; across Redwood’s portfolio he reported an average resident age of about 51 and that roughly 70% are “empty nesters.” - Ownership and maintenance: Decry said all internal drive aisles would be private concrete streets under the owner’s control and that the developer performs snow removal and routine maintenance. He said the company is open to discussing a backup special service agreement (SSA) with the village to formalize maintenance responsibilities. - Safety and construction standards: Decry said buildings are wood-framed with two-hour fire breaks between units; the firm intends to install sprinklers configured as 13D systems (not 13R) and contract out system maintenance. - Resident screening and operations: Decry said the company uses standard rental qualification procedures (he described a common threshold of about three times rent as a qualifying income metric), maintains 12-month leases and reported portfolio occupancy above 90% historically.

Concerns and questions from trustees and residents Trustees and commenters pressed Redwood for localized data and mitigation commitments: traffic counts for AM/PM peak hours, specific school-district enrollment impacts, long-term reinvestment practices, on-site management presence and eviction rates. Decry said Redwood would provide additional data on local occupancy and eviction metrics if requested. Residents suggested shifting the proposed entrance to align with Gordon Road to improve traffic flow and to extend bike/pedestrian connections to the Gilman Trail.

Process and next steps Redwood presented the concept to the plan commission in June to gather early feedback; at this meeting the company solicited the board’s input before deciding whether to submit formal rezoning and site-plan applications. If the developer files, the project will proceed through standard village review, public hearings and any required zoning changes.

Ending No formal zoning application or vote occurred during the presentation. Trustees asked staff to collect requested follow-up data from Redwood and to include the project in future hearings if and when an application is filed.