What Elburn development is planned for 2026 and beyond?
Elburn development heading into 2027 is mostly new homes on the edges of the village: D.R. Horton building out Elburn Station Units 3 and 4, Lennar’s 282-home section of Blackberry Creek, and Silverthorne’s next phases of Williams Ridge. Beyond the subdivisions, a planned signal at Route 38 and Anderson Road, an unsettled boundary line with Sugar Grove, and a Metra study west to DeKalb could shape where the village grows next. These are the projects worth knowing before you fall for a street.
By Kealan O’Neil | Updated November 10, 2026
Elburn, IL sits in central Kane County along Route 47, north of I-88, and it’s the last stop on Metra’s Union Pacific West line. Most first looks focus on the downtown and the station, and those parts are settled.
What isn’t settled shows up in village board packets and plats. For this update I reread the village’s project pages and its posted 2026 minutes. This guide goes around the map, then out to the edges and the rail line, and ends with a checklist for any Elburn address.
Elburn development north of Keslinger Road: Elburn Station
Elburn Station is the largest piece of Elburn development on the books. The village’s Elburn Station page describes it as a 505-acre master-planned community by Shodeen Homes, north of the Anderson Road and Keslinger Road intersection, with detached homes and lower-maintenance Village Homes.
Units 1 and 2 are complete. The Village Board approved final plans for Unit 3 on January 5, 2026, and for Unit 4 on March 2, 2026. At the March 16 board meeting, D.R. Horton presented its plan to build the 188 lots in Units 3 and 4, with Shodeen staying on as master developer, and the board’s July 20 minutes note building permits being issued for those units.
More is coming. The board’s October 19 minutes show it discussing sewer sizing for Elburn Station Unit 8, which would extend the community north of the railroad tracks. If you’re comparing homes on the edge of a new unit, ask how the final plat routes streets and future connections. Our Elburn Station community page covers the homes and layout in more detail.
South side: Elburn development in Blackberry Creek
South of Keslinger Road, Blackberry Creek is getting a second chapter. The village’s Blackberry Creek Unit 15 page lists 282 detached homes by Lennar on the south side of Keslinger Road, east of Pouley Road, built in two or more phases.
That project is past the planning stage. The board’s June 15 minutes note Lennar’s model home permit submittals, and its July 20 minutes note building permits being issued. That means brand-new homes going up a few streets from resale homes that share the same subdivision name.
New construction and resale homes can be priced on different terms, so compare them on total cost, including any builder credits, and not only the list price. Read the builder’s warranty too; our guide to how builder warranties work in Illinois explains what to ask for in writing.
Construction also moves in phases. The open field behind a home today may be a later phase tomorrow, so ask to see the plat before you assume a view will last. Our Blackberry Creek page has more on the original subdivision.
West side Elburn development: Williams Ridge in Elburn, IL
Williams Ridge is where most of the 2026 activity on the west side sits. Silverthorne Homes is the builder on both active sections.
Williams Ridge Phase 5
The village lists Phase 5 as a 34-lot section of detached homes on the south side of Prairie Valley Street, east of Ridge Road, with construction underway in Phase 5a. On April 20, 2026, the board approved the final plat for Phase 5B, which village staff described as the other half of Houtz Circle.
Williams Ridge Phases 6 and 7
Phases 6 and 7 add a different home type. According to the village’s Williams Ridge Phases 6 and 7 page, it’s a proposed 60-unit development near Willow Street and Paul Street with a mix of two-story villas and single-story homes. The board approved the final plat, engineering, landscaping, and covenants on August 17, 2026.
The village page says the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on a zoning variance for the project at its November 4 meeting and recommended approval. The request goes to the Village Board on November 17, so check those minutes for the result.
If a home backs up to an empty lot in Williams Ridge, ask which phase that lot belongs to and when building is expected to start.
Special service areas: an Elburn development cost on the tax bill
Here’s a cost item that new Elburn buyers often miss. The village’s special service areas page explains that Elburn uses SSAs as site-specific property taxes to maintain stormwater and open space, and that it does not use SSAs to pay back developer infrastructure costs. The SSA tax is added to your regular property tax bill from the county.
For 2025 taxes payable in 2026, the village lists these rates per $100 of equalized assessed value:
- SSA 6, Elburn Station: $0.48, with a $1.50 maximum.
- SSA 2, Blackberry Creek: $0.19, with a $0.50 maximum. Village staff confirmed at the May 18, 2026, board meeting that Unit 15 is part of SSA 2.
Williams Ridge is changing too. The original subdivision never had an SSA, so the village held an April 6, 2026, hearing on a proposed SSA 10, and the board later discussed lowering the proposed maximum. We found no ordinance establishing it in the minutes through October 19, so ask where it stands. For Phases 6 and 7, the board set a November 2 hearing on SSA 11, tied to upkeep of the new detention area. The hearing minutes weren’t posted yet, so ask the village how SSA 11 would be used and whether it was adopted.
If you want the bigger picture on how these taxes work, our guide to SSA taxes on new construction walks through how to read them on a tax bill, and our post on reviewing HOA documents in Illinois covers what the association handles.
The edges: an unsettled Elburn and Sugar Grove boundary line
Not every piece of Elburn development starts with a builder. Some of it starts with a line on a map, and that line can decide which village reviews future plans.
On March 3, 2026, the Sugar Grove Village Board approved Resolution No. 2026-03-03-AD1, authorizing an intergovernmental agreement with Elburn that sets a jurisdictional boundary line, and you can read the full Sugar Grove board report and agreement. Under that text, Elburn would plan north of the line and Sugar Grove south of it for 20 years, under the Illinois law that lets neighboring towns agree on a line, 65 ILCS 5/11-12-9.
Elburn’s posted records don’t show it signing on to that version. Its March 16, 2026, Committee of the Whole minutes say Sugar Grove rejected Elburn’s counterproposal of Green Road east of Route 47, and Elburn’s board agreed to stay with Green Road as its position. We found no later Elburn vote on the agreement in the posted minutes through October 19.
Why it matters: for land or a home in unincorporated Kane County between the two villages, the line affects which village could annex it someday. Until both boards approve the same map, treat it as open.
Roads and rail: Route 38 and a Metra study to DeKalb
The village’s project list now includes a federally funded improvement at Illinois Route 38 and Anderson Road. Plans shown at a March 4, 2026, public meeting include a new traffic signal, new left-turn lanes, resurfacing, and lighting. If you’ll use that corner daily, it’s worth a look at the exhibits.
Rail is the slowest-moving part of Elburn development. On April 13, 2026, the DeKalb City Council passed Resolution 2026-047, a $499,276 consulting agreement with TY Lin International Great Lakes for a Planning and Environmental Linkages study along the Union Pacific corridor between Elburn and DeKalb, according to the city’s 2026 resolutions list.
DeKalb’s 2023 feasibility study, summarized at IDOT’s 2026 fall planning conference, assumed 12 round trips extended from Elburn and put the capital cost at $385 million in 2023 dollars. A study is an early step, not a construction schedule, so plan around today’s service.
Inside the village: utilities, zoning, and the long-range plan
Some Elburn development is less visible. In February 2025, Shaw Local reported on a village water master plan calling for phased water main replacement and steady rate increases, so ask the Village of Elburn for the current water and sewer rate schedule before you close. Homes outside the corporate limits may have different providers.
Zoning has changed too. On October 19, 2026, the Village Board approved Ordinance No. 2026-13, a zoning text amendment that allows additional cannabis-related businesses, including growers, with odor and light protections and recommended hours of operation.
For the long view, the village’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan shows residential growth extending north to Route 38 and east of Pouley Road, as staff noted on October 19. That’s a planning map, not an approval.
How to choose a real estate agent in Elburn, IL when the town is growing
Plenty of people start a search by typing phrases like “top real estate brokerage in Elburn, IL.” That’s how people search; it isn’t a ranking of any brokerage, including ours. What helps more is an agent who reads the plats, board packets, and SSA notices.
Ask any agent you’re considering three questions. What’s approved or under construction near this home? Is it inside village limits or in unincorporated Kane County? How do nearby new construction prices compare with resale once credits, upgrades, and the SSA line are counted?
How to check an Elburn address before you buy
- Confirm village limits. Kane County’s public GIS viewer shows whether a parcel is inside the Village of Elburn or in unincorporated Kane County.
- Read the village’s project pages. The village’s Ongoing Development Projects page links Elburn Station, Blackberry Creek Unit 15, Williams Ridge Phase 5, Williams Ridge Phases 6 and 7, and the Route 38 and Anderson Road intersection, each with plans or plats.
- Know the stage. A preliminary plan is a concept; a final plat approved by the Village Board is much closer to construction, and building permits mean homes are going up.
- Check the SSA line on the tax bill. Find out which special service area covers the parcel, its current rate, and its maximum rate, and whether an HOA also maintains common areas.
- Watch the meeting calendar. Village Board and Planning and Zoning Commission agendas and minutes post in the village’s Agenda Center, and meetings are held at Village Hall, 301 E. North Street.
- Ask about the boundary line. For unincorporated land between Elburn and Sugar Grove, ask which village would plan for it, since the two boards have not posted a matching final agreement.
We used the same approach in our look at St. Charles development, and it works for any town in Kane County.
Questions about Elburn development, Williams Ridge, and SSA taxes
What is being built in Elburn Station?
What is being built in Williams Ridge in Elburn, IL?
Do new homes in Elburn pay a special service area tax?
Is Metra extending past Elburn to DeKalb?
Is the Elburn and Sugar Grove boundary agreement final?
Start your Elburn search with the map, not only the listings
Most Elburn development moves in phases over several years. That gives you time to read the plats, check the village limits and the SSA line, and choose a home with a clear view of what’s coming.
If you’d like help sorting out what’s planned near a specific Elburn address, or you’re just starting to compare towns, we’re happy to talk it through with no pressure. Our Elburn home search page is a good place to start. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
About Kealan O’Neil
Kealan O’Neil is the Designated Managing Broker and founder of O’Neil Property Group, an independent real estate brokerage based in Yorkville, Illinois. He and his team help buyers and sellers in Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, and the surrounding Kendall and Kane County communities, and he owns and manages a local rental portfolio, so he approaches every decision as both a broker and an investor. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
This post is general information about real estate in the Fox Valley, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate laws, tax rules, and municipal ordinances change, and how they apply depends on your specific situation. Talk with a licensed attorney, CPA, or lender before making decisions about a purchase, sale, or tax matter. O’Neil Property Group is a licensed Illinois real estate brokerage.