Ten acres of wooded land extending from California Avenue, between Alice and Eileen streets, will be the site of Collinsville’s newest subdivision.
Collinsville City Hall / Photo by Roger Starkey
The City Council gave Chris Geiler, owner of CMG Custom Construction LLC in St. Jacob, preliminary plat approval Monday to move forward with the development. Originally given preliminary plat approval in 2005, the land was never developed and went into foreclosure. Geiler, who was raised in Collinsville, purchased the property and submitted a similar plan to the one approved eight years earlier.
Geiler intends to have roads built in the subdivision and to begin selling lots by March, he said. Geiler left open the possibility of building one “spec house” in late February or early March.
Homes in the subdivision, dubbed California Timbers, will likely range from around $140,000 to the low $200,000’s, depending on the market, Geiler said. “We will have some really nice wooded walk-out lots. With this being the only new subdivision in Collinsville, we may have a chance to up-sale a little,” Geiler said.
Plans call for 22 single-family plots, ranging from 12,000-21,000 square feet. CMG Custom Construction will be the builder. CMG Custom Construction builds single-family homes and is the builder at The Villas of Windsor Way in Troy, as well as other projects involving townhomes. The company has not previously been the sole builder for a subdivision, Geiler said.
The hilly, rolling land on which the subdivision will be built was a point of concern for Loran Scharf, who lives on Alice Street. Scharf spoke before the City Council asking them to not grant the preliminary plat approval.
One of Scharf’s concerns was the possibility of storm water runoff. This issue was addressed by the requirement to create a storm water retention basin as well as requirements to maintain and replace certain types of vegetation, Community Development Director Mitch Bair said.
Councilman Mike Tognarelli was concerned that the city would become responsible for maintenance of the retention basin. The homeowner’s association will be billed for any work done by the city, Bair said. Anyone purchasing a home in the subdivision will have to sign an agreement to become a party to the homeowner’s association’s responsibility to maintain the basin, Bair said.
Scharf said he was also concerned about the possibility of losing his isolated back yard for a subdivision that may fail. He noted that three houses on Alice Street have been for sale for some time.
Mayor John Miller asked Bair if the Planning Commission sought input from neighbors before recommending preliminary plat approval. They did not, Bair said, because the courts view this is a right. “As long as they meet the technical requirements of zoning and our development regulations, it’s sort of a formality to give this approval.”
The City Council also approved the expenditure of Tax Increment Finance funds to Herr Funeral Homes and A1 Party and Wedding Rental. The approval of $6,506.80 for Herr Funeral Home, at 501 W. Main St., follows the approval of $16,507.60 for the business in September.
The approval of TIF funds for Herr Funeral Homes drew the ire of Collinsville Resident Phil Astrauskas, who spoke during the public input portion of the meeting. “I hope you follow me and tell me how many additional people you’re going to hire and why the taxpayer should fund a successful business in this city, I don’t understand it,” Astrauskas said, referring to representatives from Herr who were present at the meeting. “Are you going to charge $100 more for your funerals? I know they’re not cheap.”
Astrauskas then directed his attention to Miller, who works part-time for Herr Funeral Home. “I mean, is this a bonus?” he asked. Miller addressed the issue of his part-time, hourly employment at the Main Street business during the Sept. 23 vote for the initial TIF reimbursement, and again Monday.
“I have conferred with corporate council,” Miller said Monday. “Since I have no financial gain other than a salary, or hourly wage, he says there is no conflict of interest there, so I will be voting on this item.”
Miller voted to approve both TIF reimbursements, as did all members of the City Council present at both meetings. Councilman Jeff Kypta was not present Monday.
A1 Party and Wedding Rental, 108 and 112 W. Main St., will be reimbursed up to $24,608.40 to replace the aging roofs on the two buildings.
A revised engineering agreement with Hurst-Rosche Engineers, Inc. was also approved Monday. The amendment was needed because the city decided to build a new water treatment plant rather than rehabilitate the existing plant. The city saved $608,650 in design costs by choosing to build a new plant.
