Crown to put fewer paths, more benches in Hampshire

HAMPSHIRE -- "You can give us fewer paths to walk or bike along, but give us more benches along them to rest our weary feet," village officials in effect told planners of the gigantic, but long-delayed, Prairie Ridge development last week.

Planned by Crown Community Development of Naperville, Prairie Ridge is expected someday to occupy 1,277 acres north of downtown Hampshire. Its projected 1,838 homes will hold more people than the entire existing village.

But so far, just one of the project's 22 "neighborhoods" actually has been started, along the south side of Allen Road west of State Street, and its developer has sold exactly one home -- more than a year ago. So there is some time to make a few adjustments in the plan, as the village board was asked to do Thursday.

Crown engineers Dan Olsem and Jennifer Cowan told the board's fields and trails committee that Crown wants to eliminate 3.5 miles of the originally planned 11 miles of pedestrian/bike paths that meander through the complex. Cowan said the reduction would "reduce our costs in this market," but the paths marked for elimination would be "redundant" because each parallels some nearby sidewalk.

Committee Chairman Orris Ruth said he agreed with eliminating redundancy but disagreed with Crown's plan to set up 20 benches.

"I see a lot of benches in the parks. I want to see them along the paths," Ruth said, eyeing Crown's map. "If people are going to walk, they can't go two or three miles without having a place to sit down."

Because the parks likely will be owned by the homeowners association, Ruth added, village officials also will have less control over maintaining benches in the parks than they will with benches along paths. But Olsem said most of the paths are in "natural corridors" that likely will end up being owned by Kane County Forest Preserve District instead of the village anyway.

The engineers and the committee finally agreed to increase the number of planned benches from 20 to 26, with more along paths. The village board then approved the new layout unanimously during the regular board meeting the same night.

Olsem said Crown officials will meet soon with forest district officials to see if they're still interested in taking over some of the larger, less-activity-oriented bits of open space, including a large parcel along the north side of Kelley Road. Other parks will be controlled by Dundee Township Park District, the homeowners association or the village.