A Pappas Development-backed luxury apartment rental project in northern Sycamore has obtained all the necessary city approvals to break ground.

The 66-unit apartment complex, expected to be called Primm Prairie Commercial Subdivision, will be built on undeveloped land along the west side of Primm Drive in Sycamore, according to city documents.

The Sycamore City Council voted unanimously on Monday in support of a request by Steve Glasgow to rezone the property for the housing build. The city’s top governing body also approved the final development plan, greenlighting the project fully.

John Pappas, who has developed properties in DeKalb and Sycamore for decades, is working in conjunction with Glasgow on the property and has spoken on behalf of the project at recent city meetings. He issued a sharp rebuke to those who’ve opposed the project because of their perception of multi-family housing.

Pappas said he felt that some comments city residents made about Section 8 housing during a recent public hearing on the development showed prejudice.

“I don’t want to use these words, but that’s a fancy way of saying, I think they’re a bunch of, no literally, racists,” Pappas said. “If they want to know how Section 8 works, they can call their local state representative, they can call their governor, they can call the housing authority, and if they are not getting their answers, they can also call the president of the United States.”

Third Ward Alderwoman Nancy Copple asked Pappas if his DeKalb properties were Section 8 housing. He said he has never done a Section 8 project in his life.

“Absolutely not,” Pappas said. “There’s a handful of haters out there, I don’t think they have a clue what Section 8 housing means.”

Copple asked her question after watching an argumentative Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on the development a week ago. During that meeting, numerous residents spoke against a couple of proposed residential developments, some of whom worried that Section 8 housing could be built in Sycamore.

Primm Prairie Commercial Subdivision, described by its developers as a luxury apartment complex, is not a Section 8 housing development, however. City Manager Michael Hall has said that a Section 8 Housing project in Sycamore would require federal, state and city approval.

The subdivision will have 33 one-bedroom units and 33 two-bedroom units inside of one 18-unit apartment building and two 24-unit buildings, according to city documents. To accommodate parking needs, two parking garages, which would have spaces for 56 vehicles, are included in the plans for the complex.

The buildings would be two stories tall and include an exercise room in all three buildings, according to the approved plan. Each apartment unit is expected to have an in-unit washer and dryer.

The apartment complex would be designated as high-density, with 8.65 residential units per acre, according to city documents.

Section 8 housing has not been the only point of contention for vocal Sycamore residents.

Public commenters at recent meetings have expressed disdain for multi-family residential developments and a desire for more single-family homes.

While fewer people attended the City Council meeting this week compared to the Sept. 8 public hearing on the matter, some residents again criticized the addition of multi-family developments.

Nancy Dalla Valle said she moved to Sycamore for the small-town feel and to get away from Elgin.

“We lived in a single-family home there,” Dalla Valle said. “Over the years, they built multi-family and rental units all around us. We personally saw a spike in crime, so we feel rentals mean, well, more crime or maybe even transient folks.”

Having now spent 19 years living in Sycamore, Dalla Valle asked the City Council to keep the city as it is.

“Please, we don’t want Sycamore to become Elgin, Aurora, or any of the bigger cities where they have these kinds of things,” Dalla Valle said. “We want to stay here, we don’t want to be chased away. It meant everything for us to come here.”

Second Ward Alderman Mike Rodriguez said he thinks it’s good that the Primm Prairie development is happening. He also said it’s a positive that a new McDonald’s is coming to the corner of Main Street and Plank Road in Sycamore.

“It’s telling us that more people want to be here, more people want to be here, which is ultimately good for the community,” Rodriguez said. “You attract what you are, so I have a feeling that when this comes, we’re going to attract even more people that are just like us, who care about the city of Sycamore.”