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Trustees outline up-to-$1M sewer extension cost as developer seeks hookups near Sponjia
Summary
A developer described plans for roughly 64–66 units; village staff estimated a 2,000-foot sanitary sewer could cost $800,000–$1,000,000 plus lift station and permitting, and trustees said existing PE allocations must be checked before proceeding.
Kevin, a property owner interested in developing land near Sponjia and Flanders, told the board he is considering storage units and six apartment buildings totaling roughly 64–66 one-bedroom units, intended for residents 50+ or veterans.
He said he understood the village might install sewer extensions to serve the site. President Counley and Deputy Clerk Prehn relayed high-level cost estimates from HR Green for an 8-inch sanitary sewer built in 2026 at roughly $400–$500 per linear foot. "So, two thousand (2,000) linear foot would cost eight hundred thousand (800,000) to a million (1,000,000) dollars," Prehn said, and Counley noted that directional drilling, a lift station and 10–15% engineering and permitting fees would add to that total.
Counley reviewed the village's existing PE (population equivalent) allocations, saying the village originally had about 1,800 PE; he cited an allocation of 1,766 PE for the south side of McCullom Lake Road and 34 PE for the north side. He said the village must verify how many PE have been used before committing capacity to new development and that any allocation tied to McHenry would require coordination: "We would need McHenry to cooperate."
Trustees discussed options: spread costs by pursuing a larger neighborhood project, allow annexation with on-site septic (which would not use village PE), or decline to subsidize the extension because expected property-tax revenue (roughly $1,500 annually by Counley’s estimate) would not justify the expenditure. Kevin responded to the cost figures: "That's a big number, that's a real big number." The board did not take a formal vote; Counley said an engineer would need to determine remaining PE availability and refine cost estimates before any commitment.
This discussion included technical budgetary numbers and governance constraints that will determine whether the project proceeds as village-served sewer or septic-based development.
