Following a three-hour exchange of sometimes heated debate, the Sycamore City Council struck down a plan to bring in 738 new homes with a 5-4 vote at Monday’s meeting.

The room was packed, as some concerned residents were forced to stand while the drama played out. For more than an hour, residents stood before the council, voicing their opinions on the annexation of a three-stage subdivision plan named Sycamore Creek.

The Sycamore plan commission forwarded the development to the council with a 10-0 vote of approval and it came stamped with a school district’s seal of approval. It allowed for greater green space than is usual for similar developments and the homes would have been more spread out than is typical.

The developer, B&B Development, Inc., was set to donate $3,000 for each new home to the school district, as well as land for a future school, on top of the standard taxes. And the subdivision was consistent with the city’s economic development and comprehensive plans.

So what was the problem? Council members, and residents in particular, were not deciding just to allow a massive new development, which would have added to the 2,961 units already slated for construction. Words of support and disagreement all centered around what the vision of the city was to be.

“I don’t see you voting on 738 homes, I see you voting on the future,” said Mac McIntyre, a Sycamore resident and business owner. He pointed out the school district is set to lose $8.5 million over the next decade, but without development, that figure increases by $10 million.

“I wonder if anybody here can tell me how, if you turn off the economic engine, how can you turn it back on?” he asked.

Roger Hopkins, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, explained McIntyre’s idea and City Manager Bill Nicklas agreed.

They said that when commercial interests are looking at a city, the first two questions asked are “How quickly is residential land springing up, and how steady is that rate of development?” Businesses want to see a long-term promise of growth, and a city that votes down residential development is suddenly not so appealing, they said.

Mayor Ken Mundy said the implications of Monday’s decision for the city’s economic future “remains to be seen.” Regardless, he was discouraged by the turnout.

Jerry Boose, a principal organizer of the development at B&B, looked a bit weary after the meeting. He couldn’t figure out exactly how much money and time he put into the presentation and planning – “maybe a couple hundred-thousand” – and he isn’t sure what the future holds for his business in Sycamore. Perhaps a council shake-up or change of heart will bring him back, he said.

For now, the city’s residential developments will grow at a slower pace, with a projected increase of about 6 to 8 percent each year for the next three years.

The words of Sycamore resident Carolyn Watson prevailed Monday night – we need larger parks, more classrooms and more bike paths, not more homes.

“This rampant growth is out of hand,” she said. “Enough is enough. Where will it end?”