This page shows news articles related to specific greenways and communities.
All News Clips
| Back to List | |
| Subdivision to be at one with nature | |
| Mar 17, 2007 | |
| Amanda Marrazzo, special | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Pertains to Tyler Creek, Soo Line, Elgin | |
| A 65-home energy-efficient development approved for Elgin could serve as a model for builders, some officials said. "I have never seen anything so environmentally friendly," Councilman John Walters said. "I invite other developers to do the same." The City Council this week approved annexation and zoning for the Seven Creeks subdivision. The 40-acre wooded site off Highland Avenue will include 48 single-family homes and 17 detached town homes that use low-level lighting, geothermal heating and cooling systems and energy-efficient windows, among other energy-saving features, said Walter Bochenek, president and chief executive officer of Master Hand Contractors of Elgin. Bochenek, who has built custom homes in the north and northwest suburbs for 20 years, said he's long dreamed of building an entirely "green" neighborhood. "We should build with the [natural wilderness] with little interruption as possible," he said. "People with an appreciation for the environment will live here." Homes will be priced from $480,000 to $1 million, he said. The property, a haven for hunters and fishermen, is noted for its wetlands, wild rose bushes and 500-plus soaring oak and hickory trees. Bochenek said the building plan would take advantage of the site's natural beauty and terrain. Any trees that are cut down will be recycled and used in the development, he said. Other features include waterfalls, solar-powered aerators in ponds to maintain aquatic life and walking paths instead of sidewalks Bochenek said. "We can show the way to build here by saving nature," said Bochenek, who relocated his company to a commercial park next to the development site. The land is in Kane County, south of Highland, between Coombs and Damisch Roads. Bochenek, who has a few minor hurdles to clear with the city, said he hopes to begin the first phase, single-family homes on 28.5 acres, in the spring and complete them in 2009. Construction of the second phase, 17 town homes on 11 acres, would begin in 2009, he said. Tom Armstrong, Elgin's principal planner, said this type of development is new not only to Elgin but also to the surrounding area. He said similar energy-efficient components are used in the new Sherman Hospital campus. |
»»»»»
Greenway Trails
» » »Existing
» » »Project
» » »Potential
Greenway Maps
» » »by Agency
» » »by Scope
Community Systems
» » »Active
» » »Typical
» » »Sedentary
» » »Dead-end
Grade Separations
» » »Existing
» » »Needed
Trail Development
» » »News
» » »Events
Greenway Advocacy Materials
Bicycle Underpass/Overpass Gallery
About Greenway Planning Database
About Steve Breese
PalatineRoad.com
Contact Steve Breese
Greenway Links
ArlingtonTrotters.com
Fast Track Racing Team
COGO
Technical Corner