By Peter Biello
Wilmington – Construction of a 236-acre housing and shopping development in Wilmington will pick up speed this spring, and nearby residents are bracing for the population boom.
Located off Eastwood Road, Autumn Hall will contain 500 homes and a shopping center similar to the one in Mayfaire.
Both the new houses and the shopping center have nearby residents concerned about traffic.
Jeff Thomas lives on South Cardinal Drive.
"I think that what we're going to see is a tremendous amount of traffic on Cardinal and Clear Run," says Thomas, "because as these roads converge toward the college, rather than go to Racine or Market, people will come down here."
Still, some residents feel Autumn Hall will benefit them. Lee West lives beside the South Cardinal Road entrance to Autumn Hall. He says he expects the development to boost his property value.
"I lost some privacy," he says, referring to the trees around his house cut down to make way for the road. "But I can get that back with a fence and some other vegetation. But I think it's a net gain."
Autumn Hall developers are planning several public parks and sidewalks. They expect to complete at least half of the homes by 2012.
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