Campton Hills trustees on Nov. 17 received the Planning & Zoning Commission's recommendation on a preliminary planned-unit development (PUD) that would cover about 960 acres and could include roughly 900 homes, and spent the meeting walking through about 20 recommended conditions without taking a final vote.

The village attorney told the board that accepting the PCC findings and approving a preliminary PUD ordinance would "essentially give the developer the green light to continue to move forward and to do his due diligence" on engineering and infrastructure, while a separate TIF eligibility study and a redevelopment agreement would be evaluated before any final PUD approval.

The discussion focused heavily on standards staff and commissioners recommended attaching as conditions. Road geometry drew early debate: village code calls for 30 feet back-to-back pavement in some locations, while the developer proposed 28 feet and the PCC recommended 28 feet throughout. Supporters of narrower streets argued 28 feet promotes traffic calming and preserves the semi-rural character of LaFox; others urged keeping some major collectors wider for capacity and emergency access.

Street lighting prompted a similar trade-off. The village's dark-sky rules limit where lights may be placed; staff said the code could allow as many as the mid-40s of intersection-mounted lights but the developer originally proposed 13. The PCC and staff said a revised lighting plan showing 17' or 18 fixtures (18 if a future fire station is built) had been submitted for attachment to the conditions. "The dark sky section says light shall only be at intersections unless adjusted by a PUD or variance," said Scott Markworth, the village engineer, explaining the code context and how an adjusted PUD could authorize fewer fixtures.

Board members and staff also reviewed engineering and stormwater conditions, tree preservation and landscaping plans, townhome access and parking dimensions, pedestrian connections to the Metra station and a possible sidewalk or underpass at Bunker Road. Staff said any pedestrian underpass would require KDOT approval and that the conditions as drafted require the developer to post a financial guarantee for completion of the path if feasible.

A recurring theme was water and sewer capacity for the surrounding historic LaFox neighborhood. Several trustees and residents pressed for utility stubs or other measures to make future hookups affordable for a dozen or so adjacent properties that now rely on wells and septic systems. Commissioners and staff warned that expanding Mill Creek Water Reclamation District capacity could be expensive; staff cited a possible $25 million expansion and said the developer or TIF funds may need to cover some costs. One commissioner said stakeholders had asked the developer to make capacity available at the plant and to provide connection points so neighbors could later tie in if needed.

Other conditions discussed included anti-monotony design standards for single-family houses, phasing requirements to reflect the project's 20+-year expected buildout, HOA/SSA arrangements for long-term maintenance of common infrastructure, and encouragement of native drought-tolerant plantings with limited irrigation on new construction.

No formal vote on the PUD ordinance or the list of conditions was held at the special meeting. The only formal action recorded was a separate procedural motion, approved at the start of the session, allowing Trustee Frank Benetti to participate remotely. The board signaled interest in refining some condition language, and staff said the matter would return for further consideration once engineering and TIF-eligibility details are complete.