Red Seal Homes - Excellence in building since 1934

Many builders are pushing their land development and community site plans to new levels. From developing in-fill properties in existing towns, such as Red Seal's Shermer Place in Northbrook, and active adult communities that incorporate a variety of desirable amenities.

The Making of a Masterpiece

Today's New Homes, A Pioneer Press Publication
Vol. 6/No.17, April 23-24, 2003

PART II: LAND DEVELOPMENT

After finding the perfect piece of land, the next step for a builder is to come up with a plan for land development These days this part of the process requires some real creativity...

With the home building market riding a wave of robust activity for the past several years, the Chicagoland market has seen many innovative and unique developments take shape. From active- adult communities and maintenance free infill properties to neighborhoods springing up on land once thought undevelopable, many builders in the area are pushing their land development and community site plans to new levels.

Just getting a community started and taking a property through the planning and approval stages before any homes can be built now averages 18 to 24 months.

"It's a series of interesting issues, where you have to satisfy yourself that the time, cost and acceptability to the local community will all make sense," said David Hoffman, chairman of Red Seal Development Corporation in Northbrook, a long-time builder of custom homes and infill properties.

Today, the number of people needed to be involved in a builder's land development are staggering. Hoffman reeled off a list that includes engineers to conduct hydrological and soil tests; landscape architects; traffic engineers; storm water management experts; environmental impact personnel; financial analysts and legal counsel well versed in a municipality's zoning and other issues.

In the case of Red Seal's Shermer Place community near downtown Northbrook, Hoffman said an infill project like this takes longer and requires elements of creativity and change to be successful.

"Shermer Place took extensive research so we could work effectively with the Village of Northbrook to create a plan that blended with the downtown area and gave our intended residents a community that met their needs. You can never lose sight of your customer during any stage of the land development process." This can mean adding features such as walking paths to an active- adult community or a recreational clubhouse.

Another suburban infill developer is Kensington Homes of Naperville, who is getting ready to debut an active-adult clubhouse community in Aurora called Stonegate. This development's extensive land plan was the result of hard work and detailed renderings outlining the company's vision for the community.

"Creative team thinking comes into play with a 434-unit project like Stonegate. Even with our first concept plans, we desired to embellish the natural characteristics of the land and considered home-site views to the wetlands and forest preserve," said Scott Pjesky, executive vice president of Kensington Homes. "Additionally, we engineered the site to accommodate many walkout basements that research has shown important to a buyer seeking a ranch-style home. Overall, creating a real sense of community is vital.

The Stonegate community plan includes open space, walking trails, parks and a clubhouse/pool facility. A strong amenity commitment by the developer certainly facilitates municipal approvals."

At Shermer Place and Stonegate, Red Seal and Kensington worked closely with a landscape architect to create neighborhoods with a park-like ambiance that would accent the homes and harmonize with the surrounding area.

But infill developers are not the only ones faced with special challenges. Gone are the days when a builder would buy 100 acres of farmland, grid out streets and put up row upon row of houses. Today builders and municipalities work together closely to create community plans that have curvilinear streets, set percentages of the overall land devoted to parks or include an onsite school that sits on land donated by the builder.

When Realen Homes created the master plan for its Algonquin Lakes community many thought the land wasn't suitable for development.

"When we started on Algonquin Lakes, we worked closely with the village to develop a combined use community that would feature a mix of single-family and townhome plans, along with recreational facilities and an onsite school," said Al Ericksson, director of planning and development for Realm Homes. "We had the vision to see in the land at Algonquin Lakes what others didn't and it has turned into a great neighborhood that meets the needs of everyone involved."

Infrastructure improvements during land development vary depending on the site. With infill properties, builders can usually tap into existing sewers, but as development moves farther out, sufficient infrastructure may not always be available.

When Summit Homes of St. Charles announced plans to build Summit Enclave in DeKaIb, they knew some challenges lay ahead.

'Some of the issues we dealt with during land development in DeKaIb had to do with health and safety issues, such as the size and width of the streets and ease-of-use, like entry - and exit access" said Dan Urben, vice president, sales and marketing for Summit Homes. "But since this community is only 30 minutes from Naperville and home to a major university, most of the major infrastructure was already in place."

If a municipality has a growth plan and a clear direction regarding implementation, land development will be easier, but it is never a sure thing. All the builders voiced concerns about stumbling blocks, many times having to do with effective storm water management, overall density or impacts on existing services.

But conversely, builders also stressed a spirit of cooperation when working with municipalities. "There's a certain comfort level that you want to attain in dealing with the municipalities and you want to know what their key performance indicators are so you can meet them, said Urben.

Creativity also comes into play with managing environmental factors like storm water runoff. At Summit Enclave, Summit created a retention pond with a fountain that contains storm water while adding an attractive water feature.

The importance of appealing streetscapes is also a top priority for Montalbano Homes. The company's philosophy of land development includes providing good views from both the outside and inside of each home.

" You have to start with the right product with the right design and use the natural, inherent qualities of the property to capitalize on these features," said Mark Malouf, chief operating officer of Montalbano Homes. "We look at each lot individually and consider what the homeowner will see when they look outside,"

Malouf feels that a builder has an obligation to the community's residents to provide this sort of usability.

Another challenge cited by Malouf is how to make a neighborhood private for its residents while still being interactive as a whole. Montalbano uses parks or fishing lakes in the center of a community, like at their Victoria Crossings neighborhood in Lockport.

All the builders' land plans pay close attention to the sense of community and the statement that a development makes to anyone who enters it. Today's land development has the dual role to satisfy requirements of municipalities while also offering an exciting place for target buyers to call home.