Hoffman Estates trustees on Monday approved construction of sewer and water utilities enabling development of the 185-acre Plum Farms property northwest of Higgins Road and Route 59. This view looks south toward Higgins Road, with Old Sutton Road at the center of the image.( Joe Lewnard | Staff Photographer, 2019)
Hoffman Estates officials Monday approved the construction of sewer and water utilities enabling the long-sought development of the 185-acre Plum Farms property at the northwest corner of Higgins Road and Route 59.
The site lies directly west of The Arboretum of South Barrington shopping center but has lacked the infrastructure needed to continue such development west along Higgins Road.
The right of the landowners to build utility connections was granted by an annexation and development agreement six years ago. But since then other preparations needed to be made, such as the negotiation of easements with neighboring property owners including the Hoffman Estates Park District and Canadian National Railway.
Though a 40-acre tax increment financing district was approved in 2020 to potentially provide some financial assistance in building utilities with property tax funds, there is not yet a specific agreement about which costs the district could reimburse, Hoffman Estates Director of Development Services Peter Gugliotta said.
A separate building permit is also needed to construct the utilities, which the landowner must apply for within a year of Monday night’s approval.
Construction of the utilities would probably take only two or three months from the time work starts, Gugliotta estimated.
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