TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving the Preliminary Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two (PUD-2-26)
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BACKGROUND:
The petitioner and homebuilder, D.R. Horton Inc., requests approval of the preliminary Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two, located north of Van Dyke Road and west of County Line Road. The proposed subdivision consists of 147 single-family lots on approximately 54 acres of undeveloped property with R-1B (single-family residential) zoning. The R-1B zoning district requires a minimum lot area of 9,100 square feet and a minimum lot width of 70 feet. The proposed house plans include two-story models with living areas between 2,000 and 2,600 square feet and one-story models with living areas between 1,500 and 1,770 square feet. Storm detention for the subdivision will be on the south side of the property, adjacent to Van Dyke Road. There will be no park site within the subdivision, as the Joliet Park District has requested a cash contribution in lieu of a park land dedication.
The subject site was annexed and zoned R-1B in 2004 as part of the original Neustoneshire subdivision that was to include the 162 acres west of County Line Road between Theodore Street and Van Dyke Road. The original subdivision proposal was for 411 single-family lots that would be constructed in three phases. However, only Phase One was recorded and developed: NeuStoneshire Phase One is located directly south of Theodore Street and contains 146 developed single-family lots and two storm detention areas. The 54-acre subject site contains the land that would have been Phase Two, located north of Van Dyke Road and east of Lakewood Prairie Subdivision. Phase Three would have been the property at the northwest corner of County Line Road and Van Dyke Road, which is under separate ownership from the subject site and not part of this petition.
While the proposed Planned Unit Development contains Neustoneshire in its name, it is a separate development from NeuStoneshire Phase One that will have its own set of house plans and its own separate homeowners’ association.
The proposed subdivision will contain 147 single-family lots with R-1B (single-family residential) zoning. The subdivision will meet the required average lot size and width for the R-1B district, with an average lot size of 10,096 square feet and an average lot width of 78 feet. All lots except two meet the minimum lot area; Lots 21 and 24 are slightly under the required area at 8,978 and 8,886 square feet respectively. The depths of these lots were slightly reduced to create space for a wider right-of-way dedication for Van Dyke Road as requested by City staff. The proposed plans include a 38-foot right-of-way dedication for Van Dyke Road. The preliminary PUD includes a variation to reduce the minimum lot size for Lots 21 and 24, which staff supports due to the need for a greater right-of-way dedication than originally anticipated.
The proposed house plans include five models: three two-story models with ten total elevations, and two one-story models with eight total elevations. The two-story homes will have approximately 2,000 to 2,600 square feet of living area and include four to five bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The one-story models will have either 1,500 or 1,770 square feet of living area and contain either three or four bedrooms. All models will include an attached two-car garage. The proposed homes are compatible with the existing homes in the surrounding residential subdivisions. NeuStoneshire Phase One contains mostly two-story homes with two- to three-car garages, as well as some one-story homes. Examples of existing homes in Phase One are shown in Figure 6 of the Plan Commission staff report packet. The proposed elevations and floor plans for the Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two are included as an attachment.
As part of the Planned Unit Development, the petitioner is requesting a variation from the residential design standards in the Zoning Ordinance, which require 50 percent of the front elevations of at least 50 percent of the detached single-family dwelling units to be comprised of brick or stone. The petitioner proposes that 100 percent of the dwelling units will have at least 25 percent brick or stone on the front elevation. The attached elevations include between 25 percent and 41 percent brick or stone. Staff supports this request as the design of the proposed elevations is consistent with similar developments in the area.
The proposed street layout is generally consistent with the 2004 preliminary plat, with road connections to Kempton Street in NeuStoneshire Phase One at the northwest corner, to the Neustoneshire Boulevard roundabout off County Line Road at the northeast corner, and to Van Dyke Road at the southwest corner. The original plans from 2004 included an extension of Neustoneshire Boulevard off the south side of the roundabout; though the street extension was never constructed, the roundabout contains an existing curb cut on its south side. The proposed plans include a short extension of Neustoneshire Boulevard in this location. Proposed Street D will connect to this extension and then follow the path of an existing sanitary sewer main that was installed with Phase One.
The proposed Planned Unit Development includes a preliminary landscape plan that shows parkway trees, landscape outlots along Van Dyke Road, and landscaping around the stormwater area. The Zoning Ordinance requires new residential developments to provide a 30-foot-wide landscape area adjacent to a main collector street, such as Van Dyke Road. As part of the PUD, the petitioner is requesting a variation to reduce the landscape area adjacent to Van Dyke Road to 18 feet in order to accommodate the proposed lot layout and stormwater area. Staff supports this request because it is consistent with the existing landscaping along Van Dyke Road near County Line Road for the Kearney Glen subdivision, and because it allows the petitioner to dedicate an appropriate amount of right-of-way for Van Dyke Road. The landscape lots 149 and 150, the open area lot 148, and the stormwater lot 151 will be owned and maintained by a homeowners’ association, to be established in the future as part of the development of the subdivision.
The attached project narrative outlines the phasing, financial, and marketing plans for the development. According to the petitioner, the development will be completed in one phase with full buildout projected to take approximately three years. Public improvements, water and sewer connection fees, school impact fees, and development impact fees will be required for this subdivision. The developer is currently finalizing an agreement with the Joliet Park District for a cash contribution in lieu of a park land donation.
Approval of the proposed Preliminary Planned Unit Development will allow the development of a 147-lot single-family residential subdivision on land within already within the City limits. The site was intended to be developed as a residential subdivision, and the proposed Planned Unit Development is consistent with the lot requirements for the existing R-1B zoning district. The subdivision includes connections to the existing street network and provides a right-of-way dedication for further development of Van Dyke Road. The proposed house plans are compatible with the adjacent residential subdivisions, and the proposed subdivision will have its own homeowners’ association to maintain all common areas. Future approval of the final Planned Unit Development is still required.
PLAN COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING:
The Plan Commission held a public hearing on this matter at their special meeting on April 8, 2026. Steve Bauer, attorney and entitlements manager with D.R. Horton, Inc., represented the petition. No one spoke in favor of or opposition to the petition. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE PLAN COMMISSION:
Jeff Crompton moved that the Plan Commission recommend approval of the Preliminary Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two, located north of Van Dyke Road and west of County Line Road.
Michael Turk seconded the motion, which passed with seven (7) aye votes and no nay votes. Voting aye were: Cox, Crompton, Hammac, Kella, Martin, Radakovich, and Turk. Voting nay were: none. Absent were: Eulitz.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff concurs with the recommendation of the Plan Commission and recommends that the Mayor and City Council approve the following:
1. Ordinance Approving the Preliminary Planned Unit Development of Neustoneshire Phase Two
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