Huntley has approved a new residential development that will brings hundreds more homes to town.

The Village Board gave its blessing to Stetson Park, which consists of 326 residences, including 110 single-family homes, 72 front-loaded townhouses and 144 rear-loaded townhouses.

Representatives for M/I Homes, the developer, said they used a popular “Modern Farmhouse” theme for the subdivision, off Kreutzer Road behind Walmart.

The proposed neighborhood park also has a farm theme and is expected to have bike racks, a picnic table shelter, “tot lot” and playground, representatives said.

Model home construction is expected to begin next year, and MI/Homes representatives are hoping for a grand opening in about a year. The park is expected to be built next year as well, and the developer is aiming to have the last closing in mid-2030.

Original plans called for 430 row-style townhouses for the site, but officials noted less the new subdivision has less density. Developers said the area won’t feel dense.

They nodded to the Village Board’s concern about ample storage in some of the homes, and noted that 23 homesites by the park will have basements. They also attempted to include storage spaces “thoughtfully.”

Lot sizes, especially on the single-family side, and density were a minor worry of the Village Board.

Trustee JR Westberg said he was “not enthusiastic about the lot sizes for the single-family homes, but the product seems to work.”

Trustee Don Walz said he first thought “that’s too small” when he saw the proposed single-family lot sizes, but not everyone likes a large lot. He thought it was a “good mix” to have smaller sizes for those who want it and it was a different offering.

“It’ll work,” Walz said.

Walz and Trustee Marilynn Berendt, who joined the board since M/I Homes last presented plans to the Village Board in January, said they appreciated the reduced density.

Berendt did have an issue with plans to put a portable toilet in the park, saying it felt “cheap” especially given homes were going for $500,000.

Trustee Ric Zydorowicz said he loved “what you guys are doing here.”

He asked about demographics of who might be purchasing the home and said the impact of the development would be “minimal” to the school district.

Village President Tim Hoeft said the $2 million in annual property taxes for the schools should take care of that but recognized it wasn’t clear how many kids would live in the development. He added the school district’s enrollment is down, but said enrollment is cyclical. Huntley District 158 records indicate the sixth-day enrollment has declined the past few years.

M/I Homes also developed the Fieldstone subdivision near Village Hall.

The development agreement stipulates the developer is required to extend Regency Parkway and Sarah Avenue, chip in $900,000 for Kreutzer Road improvements and have an agreement with the park district to build a park in the subdivision, Huntley Director of Development Services Charlie Nordman said.

Nordman said the single-family homes will be south of Regency Parkway and north of the Huntley Springs Retirement Resort, while the townhouses will be on the eastern portion of the site.

Single-family homes will range from 1,800 square feet to just over 2,300 square feet, Nordman said, while townhomes will be roughly 1,400 to 1,500 square feet.

Nordman said the single-family homes are expected to sell for $490,000 to $535,000, and the townhouses are expected to go between $365,000 and $395,000.

The development is expected to generate around $3 million in property taxes each year, about $2 million of which will go to District 158 and about $275,000 will go to the village, Nordman said. There will also be impact fees for school, library and fire districts, and the developer will have an agreement for any additional fees for the park district, Nordman said.

Stetson Park is among several residential projects that have been approved on the Kane County side of Huntley. Among those that have been approved in the last year or two include a nearly 300-apartment complex by the Hampton Inn and a 41-house subdivision, Stillwell Grove, by Huntley Springs.

On the McHenry County side, the Village Board reviewed plans for duplexes and a single-family housing development in June. The board was lukewarm on the duplexes but liked the single-family idea.

But other ideas on the Kane County side of Huntley haven’t sat well with the Village Board. The board reviewed plans for a Redwood apartment complex last month proposed by the industrial park off Jim Dhamer Drive and Sun City.

Several residents nearby spoke against the proposal. The board didn’t like its location, but some suggested the developer look for other spots.

The board also didn’t like the location for a proposed Heyday apartment complex off Route 47 near Powers Road and Regency Parkway, preferring to keep the land commercial. Heyday came back recently with a proposal to build on land that backs up to Deicke Park off Route 47, on the McHenry County side of town. The board was more supportive the second time around.

Stetson Park will also be close to the site where the Huntley Park District plans to develop a park in the coming years.

The village acquired some land east of the development this year near the intersection of Kreutzer Road and the railroad tracks and recently sold it to the Park District for $1 million. The village got the land on the condition it buried utility lines, which officials cost will estimate about $850,000 but included and extra $150,000 as a contingency. Construction on that park could also start next year.