Frankfort Board Raises No Objection to Unincorporated 28-Lot Olive Oaks Subdivision

Frankfort Village Board Meeting | May 18, 2026

Article Summary:
Frankfort trustees voted to raise no objection to a proposed 28-lot single-family residential development on 24.83 acres in unincorporated Frankfort Township, while choosing to remain neutral on a disputed street connection.

Olive Oaks Subdivision Key Points:

• Extra-Territorial Review: Because the property lies within Frankfort’s 1.5-mile jurisdiction, the village exercised its statutory right to review and comment on the county zoning petition.

• Lot Size Compliance: The developer committed to meeting the village’s minimum 15,000-square-foot lot size and engineering design standards.

• Pre-Annexation Agreement: A 20-year pre-annexation agreement was established, ensuring automatic annexation once the property becomes contiguous to the village.

• Roadway Connection Dispute: The board deferred a decision on connecting the subdivision to an existing stub street on Rainford Drive, leaving the dispute between the township and the fire district to Will County.

FRANKFORT — The Frankfort Village Board on Monday, May 18, 2026, voted to raise “no objection” to a proposed Will County zoning map amendment and preliminary plat for the Olive Oaks subdivision, a 28-lot detached single-family development planned for unincorporated Frankfort Township.

Because the 24.83-acre site sits at the northeast corner of 84th Avenue and North Avenue, it falls within Frankfort’s 1.5-mile extra-territorial jurisdiction. This statutory boundary grants the village authority to review, comment on, and sign off on subdivision plats before they are recorded by the county.

The applicant, Aiham Al-Sabbagh representing AIRA Holdings, LLC, is petitioning Will County to rezone the property from A-1 Agricultural to R-4 Single-Family Residential.

Although the development will remain under county jurisdiction, Al-Sabbagh has requested connection to Frankfort’s municipal water and sanitary sewer system. Under Section 51.004 of the Frankfort Municipal Code, such utility connections require the developer to enter into a pre-annexation agreement.

The approved draft agreement spans a 20-year term and stipulates that the territory will automatically annex into Frankfort if it becomes contiguous to the village borders during that time. Additionally, the developer has committed to meeting or exceeding Frankfort’s standards, including a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot size and all municipal engineering and land subdivision design regulations.

According to village records, the proposed lots will range from 15,311 to 54,045 square feet, with an average lot size of 15,870 square feet. The average is skewed by Lot 19, a 1.24-acre estate lot that Al-Sabbagh intends to retain for his personal residence. The net density of the 28 units across 16.18 net acres is 1.73 dwelling units per acre, which is compliant with the village’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

A primary point of discussion centered on the subdivision’s internal road network. The proposed plat depicts an extension of Rainford Drive that would connect to an existing stub street at Timber Mill Drive within the neighboring Rainford Farms subdivision.

Frankfort Township Highway Commissioner Bill Carlson strongly opposes the connection, citing concerns that it would create a dangerous cut-through route for local traffic. Carlson warned the village that the township road district would refuse to accept maintenance responsibility for any of the subdivision’s new streets if the connection is allowed.

Conversely, the Frankfort Fire Protection District and village staff strongly support the connection to Rainford Drive, arguing it is essential for emergency vehicle access, school bus routes, and local utility circulation.

“There is a discrepancy between what one agency wants and what another one wants,” Community and Economic Development Director Mike Schwarz noted, describing the conflict between the township and the fire district.

Developer Al-Sabbagh told the Plan Commission that his original plans featured an “eyebrow” cul-de-sac that avoided the connection, but he redesigned the layout because the village’s consulting engineer, Robinson Engineering, insisted on connecting the stub street.

To move the project forward, the Village Board chose to remain neutral on the roadway dispute, formally deferring the stub street connection decision to the Will County Board.

The subdivision proposal also drew criticism from the Seamon family, who own property directly across from the site. In a letter to the board, Kathleen Seamon called the intersection of 84th and North Avenue a “death trap” and detailed a long history of severe accidents. She expressed concern that adding a 28-home subdivision would overwhelm the existing three-way stop and exacerbate issues with teenage drag racing.