A home developer is looking to build a 178-unit, single-family home subdivision on the 63 acres of open land once earmarked as an Amazon Distribution Center near downtown Crystal Lake.
Atlanta-based Pulte Homes is proposing to build 178 single-family homes at 275 S. Main Street, featuring lot sizes ranging from 1,600 to 3,800 square feet, depending on the specific model and location of each home within the subdivision.
The site would also feature sidewalks, plenty of green space and community parks for people to enjoy, developers said.
The site is where Amazon originally planned to build a 180,000-square-foot distribution center on the 63-acre parcel.
Amazon received approval from the city to build the center, officials said.
The property never sold after the company walked away from the plan in 2021, officials said.
The proposal for Lakeland Farms subdivision is currently making its way through the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission and could receive approval as early as Wednesday.
Representatives from developer Pulte Homes need a zoning change to build on the property, changing it from manufacturing to a planned unit development.
Crystal Lake’s comprehensive plan would also need to be amended to allow for the subdivision to be built on the property, officials said.
Pulte Homes officials said during a previous planning meeting that the property is enticing as single-family homes because of its nearby access to downtown Crystal Lake and Metra train stations.
There would be three access points from the subdivision to nearby South Main Road and Exchange Drive.
The subdivision would feature three-bedroom, single-story ranch-style homes in some models, and up to five-bedroom, two-story homes on other parcels.
The location is a half mile from downtown and near schools, parks, business centers, and churches.
The planning and zoning board reacted with mostly positive feedback but was seeking more clarity from the developers before an official vote is taken.
Should the subdivision receive approval from the planning board, the city would make the final approval for the property at a later date.