Wonder Lake Village Manager William Beith learned of the community’s new claim to fame last weekend via a text message from a manager.
“We knew we were going to grow, but I wouldn’t have guessed it would be the fastest in the state,” Beith said.
According to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Wonder Lake’s population as of July 1, 2023 was estimated at 4,889, up from 3,966 since 2020, an increase of 23.27%, the largest of any municipality. of Illinois. That growth can be attributed to two housing developments: The Meadows of West Bay and Stonewater.
The construction boom in Wonder Lake began shortly after Beith began working for the town in June 2021.
“Two weeks after I started here, the guy from (Stonewater, builder) DR Horton came in with 60 building permits. We had two in the entire year before,” Beith said.
In May alone, 15 housing construction permits were approved in the town, he said.
Stonewater is expected to bring a total of 3,400 to 3,700 homes and 10,000 additional residents to the village over the next 20 years. The section currently under construction has 711 housing units, Beith said, including single-family homes; terraced houses; duplex; and an adjunct four-unit age-targeted model.
Meadows of West Bay was a Neumann Homes development that was left unfinished after the builder went bankrupt in 2007. Another developer, Lennar, bought and is completing the development, which has between 300 and 400 homes, Beith said.
Village officials knew that eventually Wonder Lake would be on the map for new residents.
“It was a matter of time until the universe aligned to get it moving,” said Village President Dan Dycus.
The village and developer Andy Teegen of McHenry-based NRB Land worked together to prepare Stonewater for development, including city water and sewer, long before homes were built there.
Wonder Lake will be much stronger if we lean on ourselves. “We can benefit if those tax dollars go to our municipality instead of being sent to the county.”
—Dan Dycus, President of Wonder Lake Village
Those utility systems were designed to also serve residents and businesses on the east side of Wonder Lake. The town hopes to begin the late summer or early fall project to extend both utilities from Stonewater to businesses along Hancock Drive that are currently on private well and septic systems. The commercial corridor, the de facto center of the town, was annexed to Wonder Lake in February.
Other preparations the village has made ahead of growth include using grant funds to purchase additional vehicles for the police department, increase department salaries and expand its parks.
“New public parks and pickleball courts were added at Meadows of West Bay, a Frisbee golf course was added at Woods Creek Park, and Stonewater has a central park with over 11 miles of walking trails,” Dycus said.
Wonder Lake making news headlines for its growth is a little stressful, Dycus said.
“It puts us on the radar. “I want to make sure the town lives up to the reputation (that buzz generates),” she said.
At the same time, Wonder Lake wants to attract its longtime residents, as well as those who are not in town. Another 4,000 residents around Wonder Lake are not located within the village limits.
“That’s what we have to balance, the generations of people who have lived in Wonder Lake all their lives” who want to retain the small-town feel, Dycus said.
Hancock’s annexation and utility improvements also mean those utilities will soon be closer to other unincorporated sections of the village. Dycus hopes that will encourage others to seek annexation.
“Wonder Lake will be much stronger if we lean on ourselves. We can benefit if those tax dollars go to our municipality instead of being sent to the county,” Dycus said.
What growth could also bring to Wonder Lake is additional business investment, said manager Joe Houston.
More rooftops and residents “give us that boost to attract new businesses downtown,” Houston said.
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