Elburn’s Planning Commission recently recommended approval of the developer Shodeen’s plan for another section of the Elburn Station subdivision, which includes a proposed connection between one of its east-west streets to a rural road in the unincorporated Stillmeadows subdivision.

The only problem is that at least some of the residents of the Stillmeadows community do not want the connection.

Blackberry Township Highway Commissioner Rod Feece, responsible for maintaining Stillmeadows’ roads, again expressed his objection to the connection at a December Elburn Village Board meeting. When Elburn Station was first proposed in 2010, Stillmeadows residents at that time stated their objection to a connection between the two subdivisions.

“You’re looking at a connection to Stillmeadows Lane, from a village street with curb and gutter and smaller lots going into a country subdivision with an acre and a half to two acre lots,” Feece said. “There are no sidewalks and no streetlights.”

Feece explained that when Stillmeadows was first built, the roads were a mix of gravel and tar. When the roads were finally paved, it was done on top of the gravel roads with nothing additional for a foundation. He said there is not enough infrastructure on the roads to withstand a lot of extra traffic, especially the heavy construction traffic, but also the additional residential traffic once Elburn Station is built out.

Shodeen representative Dave Patzelt said he had no preference on whether the roads connected.

Elburn and Countryside Fire District Chief Michael Huneke and Elburn Police Chief Nick Sikora both strongly supported the connection, citing safety reasons, and saying the Kane County Sheriff’s Office was in agreement.

Huneke said that during natural and manmade disasters, multiple points of entry and exit are important because they allow first responders to move their vehicles and equipment easily where they are needed. He mentioned several recent situations, including a storm with major damage as well as fire where it would have been helpful to have better access to the area.

“We always push for connections,” Sikora said.

However, the residents who have voiced their objections to the connection have their own version of what they considered safety in their community.

Leonard Fitzpatrick said that if the connection is made to Elburn Station, their neighborhood will become a short-cut for motorists to avoid the stoplight at Anderson Road. He called response times a “poor excuse” and noted that “the fire department can make it into our neighborhood very easily, and they have on numerous occasions.”

Another resident, Kathryn Stiltner, who submitted her thoughts to the village in a letter, described what she values about living in a community such as theirs.

“There’s very little traffic, no constant stream of cars cutting through, and no streetlights flooding the night with glare,” Stitlner said. “Kids can play without the worry that comes with busy roads, and evenings feel calm instead of chaotic. Living here means our kids, elderly and fur babies are safer.”

She said that she and her husband chose to live where they do for a reason.

“It’s comforting knowing your neighbors, not just by name, but by habit,” Stitler said. “We consider our neighbors as family, and are always willing to go above and beyond for them. ... It feels human in a way that is easy to lose elsewhere.”

Stitler said she understood the role of the fire district and police is to think ahead, identify risks and make decisions that keep people, homes and animals safe, and she appreciates their concern.

“As a close community, we understand the safety risks of living in our subdivision, including the realities of living in a rural setting,” she said. “We have taken the time to consider those risks carefully, and are comfortable accepting them as a part of the lifestyle we chose.”

When Elburn Village Attorney Bill Thomas explained that the village doesn’t have the jurisdiction to mandate a road connection beyond the village’s borders, the board had only two options, neither of which included a connection.

These are building a stub up to the property line, which would close off the possibility for a connection in the future, or to build a loop to curve the road around, keeping open the possibility for a connection at some future point.

Patzelt said Shodeen is willing to modify the plan to create the curved road, and the board directed Shodeen to draft the change in the plan. The board is scheduled to formally take up the change at the Feb. 17 meeting.