While some neighbors said they knew a day could come when a portion of Red Gate Farm near St. Charles would be developed, nobody imagined a plan with such density.

Across nearly 38 acres of one of the last agricultural remnants of the community’s past, developers M/I Homes are proposing 83 single-family homes for an estimated 312 people. The proposed subdivision is dubbed Claibourne Farm.

The unincorporated property along Red Gate Road would need to be annexed to St. Charles before construction could begin. The prospective land is the northern portion of the property, according to city documents.

With an expected price range of $750,000 to $850,000, one neighboring resident took shot at the surprising plan designs.

“Who wants to spend $800,000 for a 0.2-acre lot?” the resident asked during the city’s plan commission meeting on Nov. 18.

The resident’s concern was echoed by several other community members and plan commission members. The speakers said if the developers choose to pursue the plan, they should work closely with neighbors and redesign the plan to make it less dense and more in common with the surrounding residential areas.

M/I Homes’s application to the city is just a concept plan. The developer is gaining feedback from the city and community before deciding whether to continue pursuing construction.

The land is west of Rosebud Drive and south of Reserve Drive. The plans currently contain only one entry point, a new road connecting to Rosebud Drive in the Reserve of St. Charles subdivision. The area is near St. Charles North High School.

Surrounding homes in the area feature lots ranging from a half acre to an acre. M/I Homes said the lots in the new subdivision would be about half the size of their half-acre neighbors.

In the concept plan, the developers say the “density and lot sizes are consistent and in harmony with the adjacent residential parcels.” They said Claibourne Farm will expand local housing stock, expand consumer base to support local business and generate increased revenue stream to the school district and the county.

M/I Homes say their targeted buyers are “discerning high income families, move-up buyers.”

After the city approved the luxury River 504 Rowhomes duplexes downtown, several residents on social media posted that the city has a lack of affordable housing.

During the plan commission, a representative for M/I Homes said it’s not cost efficient to do half-acre lots anymore. He said people no longer want to take care of their lawns.

Residents said the developers are just trying to cram as many homes in the area as they can to maximize profit at the expense of the surrounding community.

The plan commission recommended the developers revisit their plans with less density, larger green spaces and bigger landscape buffers between existing residences and a concentrated effort to save as many mature trees as possible. Current designs have MI/Homes cutting down almost every mature tree.

The commission also recommended a traffic study be conducted and another access point be created to avoid creating a traffic and fire safety hazard.

Several residents said they fear the development with further exacerbate the high congestion the area experiences, especially during school traffic rush hours. They also said many of the area’s schools are already near capacity.

Over several decades, Red Gate Farm has been sold off a parcel at a time for development. The remaining land is situated between residential subdivisions on all four sides, including the Reserve of St. Charles, Rivers Edge and the Red Gate subdivisions to the south and west.

The longtime family owner of Red Gate Farm has executed a contract to sell a northerly portion of the land to M/I Homes, according to the developers. They say they have no plan to buy any more property to the south for development. During the meeting, one resident called this claim dubious.

A petition on change.org to stop the Claibourne Farm development had 244 signatures as of Nov. 21.

“The scale and density of this development are incompatible with the surrounding area, and the Red Gate Road connection would funnel significant traffic, while disrupting the natural environment that makes our community special,” petition creator, resident Amy Dejanovich says.

The next step for the project is a discussion before the city’s planning and development committee on Dec. 8. If it proceeds past that date, a second public hearing would take place at the next plan commission meeting.

Outside of attending those meetings, community members can submit written comments to the city at cd@stcharlesil.gov.