Residents near the long-vacant lot at the northwest corner of Ferry Road and Comfort Drive are one City Council vote away from getting 171 new neighbors.

Naperville's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously endorsed NorthGate of Naperville, a townhouse subdivision proposed by M/I Homes of Chicago LLC that would transform 25.2 acres at 2255 Monarch Drive into 32 buildings of two- and three-story townhomes. The project now advances to the Naperville City Council for a final vote.

The commission's endorsement came over objections from city staff. Anna Franco, a member of the city's planning services team, told commissioners the site's "regional center" designation in the land use master plan does not list townhouse-style units as a primary or supporting use.

"Multifamily is more consistent with the plan and better suited to the surrounding development pattern," Franco said.

Commissioners disagreed. Commissioner Meghna Bansal said the site "has been vacant and underutilized for decades" and called the proposal "a positive development opportunity." Commissioner Derek McDaniel endorsed a staff recommendation that M/I Homes disclose to future buyers that the adjacent Prairie Point business park may see expanded industrial uses.

Greg Collins, director of land acquisition for M/I Homes, said the 35-foot-tall buildings would stand well below the 60-foot hockey arena once proposed for the same site in 2018, before those plans collapsed. Collins said the subdivision could support the I-88 corridor by housing people who work nearby.

What residents near the site can expect: The plan calls for 10 acres of open space, including 3.4 acres dedicated to a Naperville Park District park and playground. The development would provide 779 parking spaces across garages, driveways, and streets. Twenty-five percent of units would meet "visitability" standards with zero-step entries, wide doorways, and first-floor bathrooms. The development is entirely market-rate with no affordability component, according to Franco.

The city is separately conducting an Interstate 88 corridor study to guide future zoning decisions in the area. A separate 297-unit luxury apartment building at the nearby CityGate Centre also won PZC approval in early June 2026, meaning the Route 59/I-88 interchange area could add nearly 470 housing units if both projects clear council.

A council vote date had not been posted as of Friday, June 26; residents can check naperville.il.us for updated agendas.