Village of Roscoe will discuss new Roscoe Road multi-family development on Tuesday
Developers want the property rezoned as MultiFamily Residential, for townhomes.
On Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022, Roscoe's Committee of the Whole (made up of the Village's Board of Trustees) will decide whether to accept their Zoning Board of Appeals's recommendation to rezone 17 acres at Roscoe Road and Old River Road for a new development. If they agree to the change from the CG: General Commercial District to the RM: MultiFamily Residential District, the Board could make a final decision at its March 15 meeting. The Village of Roscoe also needs to approve a design review for the development.
If the County and Village approve, Josh Petry would be allowed to build the "Townhomes of White Oak" with up to 500 residents. The drawings show 152 homes [PDF], though reports say the development would have only about 130 homes, in clusters of four, each of which would be rented out.
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Asked if Winnebago County had given approval, County Engineer Carlos Molina told us, "Access to Roscoe Road [from Hawks Pointe Trail] will not be issued until they have satisfied all the requirements of the County's access ordinance. " A proposed new east-west road to Old River Road, the western boundary of the proposed subdivision, would also likely require Winnebago County approval for access to Old River Road [PDF] which is county-maintained from Latham Road to IL-75/S. Blackhawk Blvd., where it becomes E. Russell Street in Rockton.
The townhomes would become Plat 5 in the Hawks Pointe subdivision, but existing residents of Hawks Pointe says they want to see single-family homes, or no homes at all, instead of multi-family rental units. The neighborhood has been close-knit, and even had their own 4th of July parade for 20 years. With more residents, they expect taxes to increase in the Rockton School District. They doubt that transient renters would provide the long-term revenue needed to support an increase in taxes and students. They also fear that crime and traffic would increase and say that Petry is not planning to add traffic lights and traffic control to compensate for it. We reached out to Josh Petry for comment but received no response by press time.
County Engineer Carlos Molina told us on Monday, "The consultant approached us last week with a layout of the proposed townhome development. We will review and get back to them this week. As part of the County's access ordinance, a traffic impact study is required to determine what improvements, if any, are needed on County highways to maintain safety and traffic flow. We do not have a say on what happens inside the subdivision, that is the village's prerogative. However, access to Roscoe Road will not be issued until they have satisfied all the requirements of the County's access ordinance. There are some old files and development agreements that we need to review as well. We also review drainage and how that will impact the ditches along the County highways."
Currently, Hawks Pointe Trail is paved north to Goosedown Drive, where the paving ends. The rest of what would be Hawks Pointe Trail, from Goosedown Drive to Roscoe Road, is mostly gravel and is blocked off by a Road Closed sign at Goosedown Drive.
More about The Townhomes of White Oak and Hawks Pointe
Why three Roscoe trustees voted to allow townhomes in Hawks Pointe and three didn't
Roscoe moves ahead with rezoning for townhome development
Village of Roscoe will discuss new Roscoe Road multi-family development on Tuesday
New proposed development: 152 townhomes off Roscoe Road
At Tuesday's meeting, the Village of Roscoe Board of Trustees will also vote on other routine resolutions [PDF], including crack sealing, a rotary mower, whether the Village can lower insurance premiums for their police officers, and whether to let Benny’s Slots Wine Spirits have a different kind of liquor license, one that doesn't include "boutique gaming."
Mike Wright, a Hawks Pointe resident for more than 20 years, is helping to organize a group of concerned residents who are opposed to the townhome development. At the ZBA meeting, Wright said he felt so strongly about having single family units there, he joked he would help Josh Petry build them on weekends for free. Media reports, including our own, implied that Wright approved of the development. Instead, Wright's point was that he wants Josh Petry to build single family homes instead of multi-family rental units. We regret the error.
Click or swipe on the photo below to see an image gallery of the site of the proposed development.
