By Crystal Ligon
First published Tuesday November 24, 2009 on http://www.news-gazette.com/

Vanda Bidwell 'For sale' and construction signs line Gentian Street at Prairie Fields in Savoy. Records show new housing construction in Savoy was up substantially in 2009 despite a nationwide recession that has slowed building.

'For sale' and construction signs line Gentian Street at Prairie Fields in Savoy. Records show new housing construction in Savoy was up substantially in 2009 despite a nationwide recession that has slowed building.
SAVOY – It may be unexpected given the national recession, but records show new housing construction in Savoy was up substantially in 2009.

Savoy saw about 74 single-family housing starts through Nov. 13.

Not only does that exceed the 46 single-family housing starts the village saw in 2008, but it also is higher than the number of housing starts in Champaign or Urbana.

According to the cities, Champaign had 70 new single-family home permits issued through Nov. 20, down by about 14 from the same time last year; and Urbana had 46, down by five compared with 2008.

Urbana has seen decreases since 2006, when it had 110 new single-family permits issued. Champaign had 201 in 2007 and 85 in 2008.

Savoy Zoning Administrator Dan Davies said quality of homes, location and price have something to do with the total.

"I think a lot of people want to be in Savoy," he said. Plus, he said, the area seems to be at least a little recession-proof, bolstered by the University of Illinois.

"We're lucky to be where we're at," Davies said.

Steve Meid of Signature Homes also cited the village's taxes, lower than those in Champaign and Urbana, and said the homes his company is building are smaller and, because of that, more affordable.

Davies attributed a lot of the new housing construction to the current phase being built by Signature Homes in the Prairie Fields subdivision, west of First Street extended and north of Church Street, on the east side of the Canadian National Railway tracks.

There are about 46 lots in the current phase. As of Nov. 13, 23 were completed and occupied; 13 were under construction; and 10 were vacant. Not all of the homes are included in the 2009 housing starts. Some were started before 2009.

But the area is taking off, according to Davies, mainly because the developers are offering a new product to respond to the slumping housing market.

The developer, Signature Homes, originally planned on building duplexes on those lots, but determined last year it wanted to provide more affordable, single-family homes instead.

The village approved smaller lot sizes and smaller homes, but the homes also have the same amenities as others in Prairie Fields, such as ceramic material, hardwood floors, maple cabinets and whirlpool tubs.

At a planning commission meeting in May, Commissioner Robert DeAtley said he was skeptical at first, fearing the quality of homes would suffer with the reduction in size. But he said his fears were lifted because the quality of the homes looks just as good as the homes throughout the neighborhood.

The houses are being built on 55-foot-wide lots with 7-foot side yards – compared with earlier plans for 65-foot lot widths and 6-foot side yards.

Meid said the homes are selling within a couple thousand dollars of the asking price. The homes in the current phase of Prairie Fields are valued at about $190,000 to $210,000.

"We minimized our margins to keep the cost low," Meid said.

He said the homes also meet the needs of new homebuyers and empty nesters.

"It's just been a hot product," Meid said.

Because it has been so successful and because of the number of homes that have been built and sold, Signature Homes, partnered with Ironwood Homes, has not had to lay off employees, and subcontracted companies have not been affected.

After the current phase of Prairie Fields is complete, the next will be started. There are 18 acres of undeveloped land in Prairie Fields.

Meid said there are about 50 lots involved in the next phase.

Davies said housing starts have also been seen in the Liberty on the Lake subdivision, Prairie Meadows, Fieldstone and Lake Falls. He noted the Showcase of Homes helped boost the Liberty on the Lake subdivision.

Overall, Savoy has had $19 million in new housing construction this year.

The largest commercial project was the Wal-mart renovation, valued at about $5 million. There were no new commercial starts in 2009.