Joliet council OKs housing plan for land owned by mayor

A plan to build 120 single-family homes on land for which Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy is a partial owner was approved after two days of lengthy and unusual discussion of the matter.

“Yesterday was an extremely bizarre meeting,” council member Joe Clement said Tuesday before adding his vote of approval to the plan.

Homebuilder DR Horton plans to start building homes by June on land off Essington Road behind D’Arcy Motors.

The only council member who did not vote to approve the final plat for the project was D’Arcy, who repeatedly walked out of council chambers Monday and Tuesday to recuse himself when the matter was brought up for discussion.

D’Arcy did not vote.

The meetings did include occasions when residents were cautioned for speaking out of turn, and even one council member was accused of the same.

Council member Larry Hug took control of the meeting Monday at one point, as he led a question-and-answer session concerning matters raised by residents of the neighboring Picardy subdivision.

Hug represents District 1, which includes the site where Prairie Landing will be built. He also lives in the neighboring Warwick subdivision.

“I would love nothing better than to have it vacant for perpetuity,” Hug said when casting his vote. “That’s not an option.”

Hug pointed to past plans to build large apartment complexes on the site and previous zoning that allowed for apartments, noting that the DR Horton plan for all single-family homes is the best option available.

“I’m for the development,” one Picardy resident said. “I just want it to be done right.”

The major issue raised by Picardy residents was whether the new construction would worsen flooding that occurs at a number of homes along Vimy Ridge Road.

DR Horton attorney Steve Bauer repeatedly insisted that the new home construction itself will have no effect on the flooding problem. But DR Horton is installing stormwater drainage to divert a portion of the runoff water that now goes to the Vimy Ridge houses, he said.

After the meeting, Bauer said home construction is likely to begin by May or June.