Residents raise flooding and density concerns as Lockport council approves Royal Highlands Estates concept plan

A group of residents adjacent to a proposed 24-acre development told the Lockport City Council they fear a 68-unit plan will change neighborhood character and worsen flooding.

"This represents a significant departure from our neighborhood's existing character," said Rochelle Stadahar, a Tamling Drive resident, who told the council the plan’s mix of detached homes and duplexes results in an overall density she cited as 2.7 units per acre. She also warned of traffic and runoff problems, saying: "Our homes on Tamling Drive rely on well water" and that the field floods repeatedly.

Michael Karpinski, Stadahar’s husband, said he led a petition and door-to-door outreach; he asked council to deny the proposal as presented or spread the units across the property and remove duplexes to better match surrounding one-acre lots.

City staff and the city engineer responded that the application will require a full stormwater report as part of the final development plan, third-party review and strict adherence to the Will County Stormwater Ordinance, which prohibits displacing water onto neighboring properties. Lance (city planning/engineering staff) said lot sizes in the submitted plan meet or exceed the R-1 minimums and noted the proposal reduced an earlier 86-lot concept to 68 lots.

After questions from council and assurances from staff about required engineering reviews and retention areas on the plan, the council approved resolution 26059 to advance the concept plan by roll-call vote. The approval did not finalize design details; staff said additional engineering, landscaping and stormwater conditions will be resolved during the final plan review.

The next procedural step is the final development plan and associated engineering submittals; residents were told they may provide materials and photos to the city for staff review and that the council will continue to receive updates as the plan advances.