A proposed development northeast of the Route 23 and Plank Road intersection in Sycamore won’t be moving forward to the City Council after members of the public criticized the plans this week.

Chris Youssi of Youssi Custom Homes is seeking city approval for a preliminary development plan to develop 13 single-family lots, 13 multi-family buildings and two commercial lots north of Plank Road.

Multiple members of the public spoke against his concept during a public hearing Monday that was held minutes after a tense public hearing on a Pappas Development project less than a mile to the northwest of his proposed project.

Youssi was not in attendance, but people who opposed his project were.

Like others who spoke on Monday, Randy Weckerly compared Sycamore to DeKalb. At one point, he suggested those who support Youssi’s proposal take a walk down Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb, and received laughs from the audience.

“[Sycamore] is a great community, DeKalb was a great community,” Weckerly said.

Weckerly said he is also particularly worried about how more housing in northern Sycamore would impact the area’s traffic.

“I’d like to see that traffic plan because you’ve got to be crazy to put all of these developments out in that area, it is nuts,” Weckerly said.

In a 2-6 Sycamore Planning and Zoning Commission vote, Youssi’s request failed to get enough support to be recommended for approval by the City Council. Second Ward City Alderman Chuck Stowe and Commissioner Matt Woodstrup were the only two members of the planning and zoning commission to vote yes on the preliminary request.

On Wednesday, the city notified the public in a social media post that Youssi’s request will not be considered by the City Council on Monday. Instead, Youssi requested another meeting in front of the planning and zoning commission before advancing to the City Council. That meeting is expected to take place on Oct. 13, according to the city’s post.

The commercial buildings, single-family lots and apartment buildings Youssi wants to build would be constructed between Luther Lowell Lane and Route 23, according to city records. The two proposed commercial lots would be built adjacent to the Casey’s gas station located at 105 Plank Road.

The 13 single-family lots, which could be sold to prospective homeowners, would be constructed on the north side of the development, according to city documents. Those lots would be built along a road that would connect to the commercial development, Casey’s and an access road next to Greater Family Health at 165 E. Plank Road.

The 13-building multi-family residential buildings would create 43 three-bedroom townhome units on a private road, according to city documents. Officials representing Youssi at the public hearing said they predict the townhomes could cost around $2,000 a month to rent.

While Youssi was not in attendance, Michael Carpenter, of Sycamore-based full-service real-estate company RVG Commercial, was. He said he has known Youssi for more than 20 years and believes in the proposed use for the currently undeveloped land.

“I think it’s the best concept that I’ve seen for this development. We’ve got a lot of excess commercial land,” Carpenter said.

While many in attendance for the more than two-hour meeting said they were in favor of more commercial retail developments and single-family homes in that area of the city, Sycamore community development director John Sauter said economics are why single-family homes are not being developed.

“Right, wrong or indifferent, that’s where we’re at,” Sauter said.

Carpenter said retail developments in the area haven’t fared well recently, and believes more nearby residential units would help.

“We’ve had a lot of tenants changing hands, and there’s just simply not enough, there’s not enough density, people living out there to support those retail spaces,” Carpenter said. “Again, I think with the mix of single-family and multi-family that they have proposed with this subdivision – I think it’s a great concept.”

Nike Maycock, a South Elgin police officer, said the development would be a stone’s throw away from where he currently lives. He and his wife, a nurse, drive about 50 miles round-trip to their jobs so that they can live in Sycamore.

“It would just be really upsetting to me that – I moved out to Sycamore about three years ago for this life, for this atmosphere and now it’s changing," Maycock said. “If this goes through, then we’re going to have to look somewhere else – in New Hampshire or something, I don’t know – because Sycamore is turning into not Sycamore very, very quickly."