Antioch's 127-lot subdivison on hold

Village cites failures at Woods of Antioch, prepared to block Beach Grove Estates

ANTIOCH -- Village officials want answers from Diamond Development about their involvement in the failing infrastructure of The Woods of Antioch subdivision before they consider the developer's proposed subdivision at Beach Grove Road and Route 59.

Diamond Development seeks to annex 80 acres to build a 127-lot subdivision. Emmons School, on the east side of Route 59 across from the proposed development, is also seeking annexation to obtain sewer and water services.

The proposal for Beach Grove Estates requires a public hearing and village board approval before the developer can proceed, but the board wants answers first from KLM Builders, the developer of Woods of Antioch and a partner in Diamond Development.

The other partner in Diamond Development, Thelen Sand and Gravel, has pulled out of the partnership, according to KLM representative Kim Meier. He said his company did not build the roads in Woods of Antioch. "We have no expertise in this area. We did not have anything to do with the roads."

"You guys left behind a disaster," Trustee Dennis Crosby, citing concrete streets, curbs and gutters that he said are falling apart. Repairs are estimated to cost millions of dollars.

"I don't know what was done wrong. All eyes are looking at you and Thelen. You have hundreds of residents very upset. What irritates me is that my tax money is going toward repairing these roads that you or Thelen screwed up," Crosby said.

Crosby said he would not act on this project until Meier demonstrates that his company was not involved in building the streets in Woods of Antioch.

"This is an issue of ethics," Crosby said. "I have no desire to allow you to build in this town again if you do not generate documents and proof that you were not responsible. If this was Thelen's fault, please demonstrate that. Otherwise, I will not allow you to build anything again in this village."

He and other trustees are also reluctant to allow the development with so many other unfinished homes and vacant lots throughout the village. They also don't want to be left with the responsibility for any unfinished infrastructure improvements if KLM pulls out or sells the subdivision over its four-phase build-out.

"We don't want another Neumann Homes debacle," said Crosby, referring to the bankrupt developer's unfinished NeuHaven and Clublands subdivisions.

"I want to make sure these people get their amenities on the front end," said Trustee Jay Jozwiak. "People don't get what they pay for because amenities like parks and walking trails come at the end of the line, and by then the developer is bankrupt or gone. I want funds set aside so that people get what they pay for."

Trustee George Sakas said building a subdivision with no pedestrian access to Emmons School is "patently ridiculous. I don't know how you alleviate that, but these houses cannot look out their back windows and see the school and have their children bused. We already went through this in Tiffany Farms, and I don't want to go through it again," Sakas said.

Daryl Haider, a Woods of Antioch resident, urged village officials to continue to ask the questions of the developer and hold them to a high standard. "Give them the most stringent oversight possible. Demand money up front to make sure anything that fails is covered."

Although the proposal was met with a positive recommendation from the Combined Planning and Zoning Board, "it is obviously not going forward at this point," said Mayor Lawrence Hanson. "Our board is telling you we want to see something different before considering annexation. The good thing is we have time to do this right."