By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOBART – An update on PDK Investments’ plans to construct a 136-unit, eight-building residential development near the intersection of Packerland Drive and Lear Lane was presented June 1 to the village board.
Director of Planning and Code Compliance Todd Gerbers said eight two-story buildings would include four 14-unit buildings and four 20-unit buildings.
Gerbers said the project is contingent upon working with both the fire and police departments to make sure the site has proper access points.
“They do have a temporary one coming off of Packerland, but they do not want their residents coming off Packerland because of the (speed limit) at the point,” he said. “It’s 45 mph… We are still working with both (Fire Chief) Jerry (Lancelle) and (Police Chief) Randy (Bani) to try and get a secondary access point, so we don’t have a dead-end, basically in the back, and we won’t be able to loop around for fire apparatus.”
The project plans call for access to the new phase of the development by utilizing the existing entrance/exit from Lear Lane, which serves the existing development.
“Six of the eight (new residential buildings) are basically (going to) have one way in at this point,” Gerbers said. “(Residents living in) the other two basically could still loop around and come back out the secondary exit. There is a concern with getting a fire truck back there, if they had to, in case of an emergency.”
He said the project has site review approval conditioned on to meeting the committee’s contingencies.
Gerbers said the committee’s major concern was either the “temporary” access drive from Packerland remain after the development is completed and be constructed as a second permanent, code-complying access drive into the second phase of the entire complex, or another viable access point to the rear of this phase is approved by the fire and police chiefs.
The development plan also includes four, 16-unit detached garage buildings to accommodate the 20-unit residential buildings where there are only four attached garages per structure.
To maintain continuity along the west property line, the developer proposed extending the fencing and tree planting to establish a buffer between the new multi-family residential area and the single-family residential properties to the west.
Scott’s Subs
Gerbers said the committee backed the conceptual site layout for a 3,396-square-foot commercial building at 550 Centennial Centre Blvd. to house a Scott’s Subs restaurant.
“A few changes might be happening to the building itself,” he said. “But it’s more of a conceptual (approval), so that they can move forward (and) incur a few more costs of getting the engineering done.”
The project plans call for the building to be constructed on the southwest corner of the property, with access to the site through an existing entrance/exit from Centennial Centre Boulevard and the construction of an additional entrance/exit point from Larson Orchard Parkway.
Accessory building
Gerbers said the committee also gave conditional approval to a 1,024-square-foot detached accessory building at 1200 Centennial Centre Blvd., to be utilized for additional storage.
“It’s getting tucked in the woods, and it is going to be adjacent to the parking lot,” he said. “There were no issues with that. It’s going to use the same colors as the existing building, so it will blend in nicely in amongst the trees.”
Wall sign
Gerbers said the committee approved placing an 18-square-foot wall sign for Elite Nutrition at 560 Centennial Centre Blvd., the same tenant space as Fire Fitness.
“They do have a nutrition club that’s taking over a small office in there,” he said. “It does have both access from inside the building, as well as outside – a separate entrance. They did ask for a secondary wall sign.”