A neighborhood with 175 single-family homes will be built near downtown Crystal Lake in what City Council members call the “last infill property,” which was once set to be an Amazon warehouse.

Atlanta-based Pulte Homes first proposed a plan in November to build 178 single-family houses on 63 acres along South Main Street, where Amazon had previously planned to build a 180,000-square-foot distribution center. Amazon received approval from the city, but the company walked away in 2022 before it formally purchased the property.

After multiple revisions were made to the housing plan, most recently to change the architectural style that came off as “cookie-cutter” to some council members, the council approved the preliminary plan in a 6-1 vote Tuesday. Developers will need to return for City Council approval on the final plan.

Pulte Homes representatives provided an updated plan that added a front porch to each home, included an additional ranch-style home as an affordable option, increased some lot sizes to be over 50 feet wide, and changed the front yard setback to 20 feet from the street as a way to “match the character” of downtown Crystal Lake, according to city documents.

The residential plan includes a 2.77-acre center passive park area and walking paths throughout the development. Builders plan to have access points off Main Street, Exchange Drive and Commonwealth Drive, according to city documents.

Developers proposed calling the area Lakeland Farm, but council members asked them to change it because that was once the name for the Dole Mansion property.

City Council member Brett Hopkins, the sole “no” vote, still saw the east side of the layout as being too dense. Matt Brolley, Pulte’s division director of land planning and entitlements, said the density is “by design” to increase the walkability to the nearby Pingree Road Metra train station.

Hopkins also expressed concern about the use of brick pavers for driveways.

“Over a duration of about five years, they look horrible,” he said. “There’s plants growing up in between them. There’s all great intentions, but there’s no upkeep at all.”

Another condition that council members requested is the addition of details to the sides of the homes to break up the “monolithic” look, Mayor Haig Haleblian said.

“The layout, to me, still screams suburban subdivision sprawl,” council member Denise Smith said.

Homebuyers are able to customize the homes with different interior and exterior options, such as front porches and garage expansions. Homes are expected to sell from the high $400,000s to the low $700,000s, Pulte Homes land acquisition manager Fabian Fondriest said at previous meetings.

The development is estimated to be a $15 million buildout, Brolley said.

Developers could break ground in early to mid-2026 and complete a model home four to six months later, Fondriest said at a previous meeting. In total, the project is expected to take about four years to complete.

Pulte has created communities in more than a dozen suburbs, including Elgin, Mundelein and Trails of Woods Creek in Algonquin.

Pulte also is proposing a duplex neighborhood in Algonquin. Developers garnered approval from the village’s planning and zoning commission for the project at the southwest corner of Stonegate Road and Huntington Drive last week.