Herald News, The (Joliet, IL)

February 18, 2007
Section: SPECIAL BROADSHEET
Page: J1
By: By Stewart Warren   

Ever since the first big building boom back in the late 1950s, there have been lots of perfectly nice places to live in Romeoville.

But none of them was all that big.

In Hampton Park, the oldest section of the village, the curving streets are lined with modest one-story ranch houses. There are some tri-levels, of course, and every few blocks, there's an all-brick house.

And while they never would be mistaken for mini-mansions, the neighborhood looks neat and well-maintained, and has a friendly air. It looks like the kind of spot where neighbors chat happily while leaning against the back fence. Hundreds of homes have been lovingly remodeled and sport special touches: new vinyl siding, fancy windows and expanded garages. On a recent January afternoon, there weren't a lot of "for sale" signs in Hampton Park, so the residents must be happy.

"Mayor Fred Dewald grew up there, and Steve Gulden, the village manager," said Steve Rockwell, the village's community development director. "And it's aged well."

For many years, the available housing met the demand. Another building boom began in 1999, and those houses were a little bigger, Rockwell said. But not much. Then village officials began to notice something was missing: bigger, pricier houses - the kind that people imagine when they daydream about moving up in the world. To get that, residents had to say so long to Romeoville.

"We saw groups of people moving to Bolingbrook or Channahon to get the bigger home," Rockwell said.
But that's changing. First Pasquinelli built the Fieldstone subdivision near the Mistwood Golf Course on Airport Road near Weber Road. Now Beechen and Dill - a Burr Ridge-based builder known for higher-end, custom-built homes in upscale towns such as Clarendon Hills - is building Misty Ridge, a 165-unit subdivision off Normantown Road and north of Hampton Park on the site of the old Mather north farm. Minutes from the proposed extension of Interstate 355, Interstate 55, Illinois 53 and Weber Road's growing retail row, Misty Ridge boasts houses that are bigger than 4,000 square feet and cost $300,000 or more.

When it's finished, Misty Ridge will have bike paths, walking trails and its own park. It's just down the street from the brand-new Lukancic Middle School and Skoff Elementary School complex.

With three model homes ready, Misty Ridge had its grand opening Saturday. And Romeoville's village officials couldn't be prouder. The mayor touted the project at his annual State of the Village speech in January. And Rockwell can't say enough about the project.

"These are not $200,000 starter homes," he said. "They are much nicer than that."

The houses are handsome. Beechen and Dill have taken elements from their custom homes costing $1 million or more and incorporated many of them into Misty Ridge.

"We have shake siding to give that old-world look," said Matt Dill of Beechen and Dill. There are brick facades with decorative stone work, and some homes have a stucco treatment. Decorative brackets dot some roof lines, and bay windows can be topped in copper.

"We are getting a lot of positive feedback, a lot of, 'Wow, we haven't seen this in the area before,'" Dill said.

Considering that the northern Illinois real estate market is slumping, Misty Ridge is a real success, said Tracy Cross, the real estate guru from Schaumburg's Tracy Cross and Associates, a firm that does marketing research for builders.

"There has been nothing that has crossed the $350,000 price line ever in Romeoville," Cross said. "If you look at what they are doing, they are at the top end of the market."

When Beechen and Dill first decided to build on the old Mather farm, the company envisioned a townhouse community, Rockwell said. They had settled on that plan because a ComEd easement filled with high electrical lines runs along the west side. But village officials argued that Romeoville was ready for higher-priced homes. And many people would see the power company's easement as extra back yard space.

Although Misty Ridge borders Hampton Park, the proximity has had a positive effect on the older neighborhood, Rockwell said.

"It encourages (the Hampton Park homeowners) to paint their houses, to do the new addition. The situation is infectious," Rockwell said. "And as the smaller houses change hands, the new owners will say: 'This is still a great area to move to. We can take these houses and fix them up.'"

Now that the lots inside Misty Ridge are starting to sell, it looks like the village did plenty of homework. Some Romeoville residents want bigger houses - but they don't want to leave Romeoville. Several lots in Misty Ridge have been sold to people who already live in the village, Dill said.

"We are delighted to be proven right!" Rockwell added.

What's next for Romeoville? More luxury homes costing $500,000 or more, Rockwell said. "We are starting to see more businesses moving in," he said. "CEOs, maybe they could live here if they had the home they wanted - instead of moving to Downers Grove and Burr Ridge."

Reporter Stewart Warren can be reached at (815) 729-6068 or via e-mail at swarren@scn1.com.