Council advances 13‑lot Dunhaven development despite neighbors' concerns about trees and covenants

A Village of Palatine committee and then the full council moved forward with approval of a final plat and planned‑development rezoning for a 13‑lot single‑family subdivision (the Dunhaven area) on Jan. 4 after settling several outstanding conditions, though neighbors expressed concern about tree loss and homeowner‑declaration details.

Councilman Solberg, chair of the Community & Economic Development Committee, said the item was to consider ordinances and a resolution granting final plat and final plan development approval for the 13‑lot project. Staff summarized four outstanding items the petitioner had agreed to address: a minimum of 50% masonry on elevations (no vinyl or aluminum), attorney review of the draft declarations, concrete driveways for lots 10–13, and revisions to tiered retaining walls including a planting strip of approximately 4 feet. Staff also said the Planning Commission recommended unanimous approval and staff concurred.

During committee discussion council members pressed staff and the village attorney on enforceability: whether the 50% masonry requirement would be binding on deeds or potentially modified later by an HOA, and which declaration provisions the village would require to be unamendable without village approval. Staff and the village attorney responded that the plan‑development ordinance would include the masonry requirement and that certain declaration provisions would be written so they could not be amended without village approval; the declarations were in draft and under attorney review.

Amy Rosheper, president of Dunhaven Wood South, testified on behalf of both Dunhaven Wood South and Dunhaven East, asking for confirmation that developers would plant larger trees and increase entrance plantings (river birches, crab apples, rose bushes). She also sought clarification that certain HOA restrictions (for example, prohibitions on above‑ground pools or specific mailbox/fence standards) would be mirrored in the new declarations. Staff and the petitioner's engineer said the final plan anticipates 21 additional trees and tree sizes listed in the packet as 2.5–4 inches caliper; petitioners said landscape plans would be revised to the village's approval and that declarations were redlined from the existing Dunhaven Wood South documents.

The committee reported the item out by a committee vote recorded in the transcript as 5–1. The full council later took the item up in the meeting and the motion carried in a roll call that included at least one recorded 'No' vote on the transcript. The committee recommendation was placed on the council consent calendar and reported out by the committee chair.

Key clarifying details included the staff representation that tree sizes for final planting were specified in the packet (2.5–4 inch caliper) and that the developer added roughly 21 trees beyond earlier plans. The council emphasized that the attorney would finalize language to ensure specified declaration provisions could not be amended without village approval.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 187, topfinish SEG 1041.