Commission recommends approval of final plat for Ponds of Stony Creek Unit 4A, but five lots remain tied to floodplain revisions

The Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission on May 4 recommended that city council approve Petition 08-26, a final plat application for Unit 4A of the Ponds of Stony Creek subdivision, filed by Cal Atlantic Group LLC with property owner Wade Light.

Staff said the overall subdivision covers about 278 acres on Elgin’s west side and was previously approved for 504 single-family lots; to date 358 lots across Units 1–3 have been approved or are under construction. Unit 4A, as presented, includes 141 lots, of which staff said 140 are currently buildable: Parcel 16 remains encumbered by a public-utility and drainage easement and will remain unbuildable until grading and an official flood-map revision are complete. Staff said five additional lots adjacent to the outlot are currently within the floodplain and were excluded from Unit 4A pending grading and a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) process with FEMA.

Staff described model home designs (10 model plans, hardyboard siding, two- and three-car garages), lot widths (most 80 feet), floor areas (approximately 2,171 to 3,800 square feet), and a planned five-acre neighborhood park and multi-use path extensions. Staff recommended approval subject to the standard packet conditions and noted the unit is in substantial conformance with the 2018 preliminary plat.

Commissioners asked procedural and technical questions about street signs and centralized mailboxes; staff said developers are responsible for installing street signs and that the U.S. Postal Service/postmaster decides on mailbox type and whether centralized cluster boxes (CBUs) are required. Commissioner Jones pressed on the floodplain-removal process; Mark Paul of Manhart Consulting and applicant representatives explained that the developer has applied for a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) or LOMR with FEMA: the developer will mass-grade the parcels, resurvey and submit the revised elevations to FEMA, and FEMA will then review and issue a LOMR to formally remove lots from the regulatory floodplain, after which the developer may plat those lots separately (anticipated as Unit 4B).

Commissioners also raised resident warranty concerns about concrete aprons and sidewalks from earlier phases; the applicant said warranty repairs are logged with customer service and typically addressed near an 11-month follow-up when settlement and cracking are evident. No public comments were made during the public-comment period.

A motion to recommend approval, subject to packet conditions, passed on a roll-call vote of 7–0. Staff also summarized pending items coming before the commission and the meeting adjourned.