Village Ties PUD to Historical Museum

Haven Commons, a proposed development at Haven and Prairie Avenues, has attracted opposition by some homeowners in the neighborhood. The development under review calls for transforming a 2.6-acre parcel, the site of the historic Francis house, into a combination historic museum, office building and daycare

The plan by Rigsby Builders, Inc. in Mokena has neighbors in the 200 block of E. Haven Avenue and around the corner on Prairie Avenue annoyed. Neighbors, including Karen Rinker, 214 E. Haven Ave., who lives next door to the proposed development, are concerned that the commercial endeavors would be incompatible with the residential setting. The homes on the south side of Haven are old mansions built in the early 1900s.

Rinker and her immediate neighbors have planted anti-Haven Commons signs on the front lawn. She said in an email to Patch, "There are plans to put in a day care center, office building, detention pond and a parking lot. They are planning to turn the house into a museum. All of this in the middle of a residential neighborhood."

Plans submitted to the Village

Jeff Smith, senior planner for the Village of New Lenox, said the proposal was introduced at a June 4 meeting of the Planning Committee. No decisions have yet been made. The village staff has asked for additional information that includes landscaping and an appropriate buffer between the proposed development and the existing homes, he said.

Along the east side of the property, next to the old Francis mansion, Rigsby is looking to build a 6,400-square-foot single story office building and an 18-space parking lot. On the back side of the property behind the Francis home, a 6,400-square-foot, single-story daycare facility is planned.  A detention pond would go in closer to Haven Avenue at the front of the property. The Francis house is set back at least 100 feet from Haven Avenue. The lot is 300 feet wide and 380 feet deep, said Smith.  

View the plan on the Village of New Lenox website.

While the development staff has not made a recommendation to advance the project, it has required that it be presented as a planned unit development. PUDs allow the village to be more restrictive. "The village has more control of the design and can force more conditions" on the builder, he said. The two parcels involved are currently zoned residential, he said, noting that the Silver Cross medical facility is across the street and Prairie Avenue is an access road that leads to the Metra Station parking lot on the other side of Route 30.

The primary concern, said Smith, is maintaining the integrity of the residential neighborhood along with concerns about additional traffic. Landscaping and appropriate buffers would be necessary. What makes the proposal a bit more complicated is the fact that it is tied to the historic preservation of the home. The PUD is contingent on the historic residence. The community development staff is recommending that no permits be issued until the home is transferred to the historic society.

The plan is anticipated to be presented to Village Trustees at the July 8 meeting. 

New Lenox Area Historic Society Considerations

The former home of Hazel Francis, 220 E. Haven Ave., was built in 1900. The New Lenox Area Historical Society is considering the now vacant home for placement on the Will County Historic Registry. The house has fallen into disrepair over the last few years, since Hazel Francis died at the age of 100.

If after review of the home, including the estimated cost of revitalizing the two-story Victorian style homestead, it could be a candidate for a historic museum for New Lenox. So far, it's worthiness as a historic museum is in the infancy stages.

"We're in the process of determining the process," said Lori Lindberg, a trustee on the New Lenox Area Historical Society.

Nothing is firm. What appeals to her though is the historical significance of a home that was owned by one of the community's prominent families, John E. and Hazel Francis.

Before the Francis family bought the home, it was owned by Dwight Haven, a former New Lenox Township supervisor and prosperous merchant in the community, according to New Lenox's Diane Batson, of the historic society. Haven was instrumental in operating the Underground Railroad for "freedom seekers." There is a lot of history surrounding the Francis and Haven families in New Lenox.

Lindberg said she's excited at the prospect of establishing a museum on the spot. A museum is something the society has been planning. At the moment, she's seeking contributions of historical furniture, photos, collectables, etc. for a museum eventually established within the village. 

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