Some subdivisions take a while to get finished. Neustoneshire in Joliet is one of them. The original plan dates back to 2004, and only one of its three phases ever got built. Now a second phase is back on track.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Joliet City Council voted 9-0 to approve the final plans and subdivision plat for Neustoneshire Phase Two, where D.R. Horton plans to build 147 single-family homes, according to the city's meeting recap.
What's planned
Patch's preview of the meeting, drawn from city documents, laid out the details. D.R. Horton Inc. – Midwest is the petitioner and homebuilder. The site is about 54 acres north of Van Dyke Road and west of County Line Road, zoned for single-family homes. The council approved the preliminary plans in April, and the final plans are substantially similar.
There are five models:
- Three two-story models with 10 total elevations, at about 2,000 to 2,600 square feet, with four or five bedrooms and two and a half baths.
- Two one-story ranch models with eight total elevations, at either 1,500 or 1,770 square feet, with three or four bedrooms.
Every model includes an attached two-car garage. City documents say the homes are compatible with the existing houses in the surrounding subdivisions. The existing Phase One is mostly two-story homes with two- to three-car garages, along with some one-story homes.
Deputy City Manager Nolan Ming, who took over the job in August, presented the plan to the council.
Storm detention will go on the south side of the property, next to Van Dyke Road. There won't be a park inside the subdivision, because the Joliet Park District asked for a cash contribution instead of a land dedication.
According to the city's outline reported by Patch, the land was annexed and zoned in 2004 as part of the original Neustoneshire subdivision, which covered 162 acres west of County Line Road between Theodore Street and Van Dyke Road. That plan called for 411 single-family lots in three phases.
Only Phase One was ever recorded and built. It sits just south of Theodore Street and has 146 homes and two storm detention areas. Phase Two is the 54 acres now approved. Phase Three, at the northwest corner of County Line and Van Dyke roads, is under separate ownership and isn't part of this plan.
Also on the agenda: water
The same meeting brought another big piece of work for contractors. The council approved a $41 million contract with Fisher Tank Company to build four water storage tanks and improve three sites, so Joliet is ready to receive Lake Michigan water in 2030. That vote was also 9-0.
The council also approved $1.24 million for Hoerr Construction to repair 18,000 feet of sewer pipe ahead of 2027 water pipe replacement work, plus up to $69,900 for engineering help from RJN Group to meet EPA rules for keeping water and sewer lines safely apart. On the consent agenda, the council also approved engineering agreements for rehabilitating the water tunnel under the Des Plaines River and for preliminary engineering on the city's 2028 water system rehabilitation program.
For the trades, 147 houses in one subdivision from one national builder is a steady run of work. Two-story homes up to about 2,600 square feet and ranches in the 1,500 to 1,770 range are bread-and-butter production homes, the kind where crews learn the plans quickly and get faster with every start.
Five models with 18 elevations between them gives buyers choices while keeping the building itself repeatable. That's good news for framers, roofers, siding crews, plumbers, electricians, HVAC installers, drywall hangers, painters and flooring installers who like knowing what's coming next.
Why it matters for Contractors
Neustoneshire Phase Two puts 147 new single-family starts on the map in Joliet, and production builders like D.R. Horton lean on reliable trade partners to keep their schedules moving. If you want in, reach out to D.R. Horton's Midwest division about getting set up as a trade partner before vertical construction ramps up. Site and utility contractors should also watch for the land development work, including the storm detention along Van Dyke Road. And the city's push to get ready for Lake Michigan water by 2030, from the $41 million tank contract to sewer and water main work, means a busy few years for civil and utility contractors in Joliet.