The Village of Mahomet has filed a petition with the Illinois Commerce Commission for consideration and funds for a railroad crossing that would extend South Mahomet Road through the 77-acre property that the Mahomet-Seymour School District owns on the east side of the Village.
In seeking the “opening of a new, single-track, grade crossing of South Mahomet Road at the existing Norfolk Southern Railway Company (“NS”) track and the establishment of a warning system of automatic flashing light signals with gates, bells, constant warning time circuitry, with an event recorder and remote monitoring capability at the proposed South Mahomet Road crossing” the Village of Mahomet also seeks $1,105,869 in ICC funding.
The project for South Mahomet Road extension is estimated to cost taxpayers $10,508,732, including $6,177,290 from the East Mahomet TIF (property taxes within a designated area), $3,187,665 from the Village Capital Improvement Project funds, $1,105,869 in ICC funds, and $37,908 from Norfolk Southern Railroad. To fund the project’s start, the Village has issued about $8.5 million in bonds.
In order to make this crossing possible, the Village of Mahomet has proposed closing the Walnut Street crossing to the ICC.
The Village of Mahomet and the Mahomet-Seymour School District agreed to revise an earlier Intergovernmental Agreement in 2019 that relieved the school district from an obligation to develop Secretariat Drive in exchange for an easement through the district’s land for South Mahomet Road.
Originally, South Mahomet Road would follow along the railroad before crossing over to meet up with Prairieview. In the original plan, the Mahomet-Seymour School District’s property would not have roads going through it. Secretariat was originally the second access to the development to the west of the district’s property.
The Village is currently extending utilities, including water main and sanitary interceptor sewers, along the route of the road that will divide the school district property into a north and south campus. The documents submitted to the ICC state that Mahomet-Seymour Junior High will occupy the south part of the property (31 acres between the road and the railroad track) by 2026 while the north property (33 acres) will still house Middletown Prairie Elementary.
The catalyst for South Mahomet Road, though, came during a discussion that began between the school district and Vertical Towers, LLC as they discussed a water easement throughout 2016 and 2017. While the easement was never made public, the Mahomet Daily obtained the paperwork through a FOIA request. The documents included a commitment to South Mahomet Road (the “Road Condition), running alongside Vertical Tower’s property in the Conway Farms Subdivision.
The subsidy will allow for development of land east of the school district’s property, too. Upon the completion of South Mahomet Road, the Village will then look at the next phase of developing Churchill to Prairieview Road. Development of that road will then encourage continued development on the very east side of the Village.
According to choosemahomet.com, a website maintained by the Village, the vision for the area includes Two-Family / Small Lot Residential, Multi-Family Residential, Commercial and Industrial / Business Park Development.
