Homeowners near a 32-acre wooded lot off 75th Street face a pivotal Naperville City Council vote Tuesday, Oct. 6, on a 94-duplex proposal.
The council will decide whether to direct staff to prepare ordinances and agreements for the project known as Naperville Ridge, or decline to proceed. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St.
Pulte Home Corporation is under contract to purchase the site from the DuPage Water Commission for $14 million, according to the Chicago Tribune, which first reported details of the upcoming vote. The land sits on the south side of 75th Street, west of Gladstone Drive, in unincorporated DuPage County. Neighbors in the Laurel Glen, Cobblebrook Crossing and Hatchwood Farm subdivisions border the property to the west, with single-family homes to the north and south and the Thornberry Woods apartment community in Woodridge to the east.
The duplexes would be market-rate, starting at an anticipated $700,000 each, and would target empty-nesters with first-floor primary bedrooms, according to the Tribune. The project is not proposed as age-restricted or affordable housing, city staff noted in the council agenda packet.
Approval would require annexation into Naperville, rezoning to R2 for low-density multifamily housing and a conditional use permit for a planned unit development.
3,400 petition signatures
Sicong Li, a Hatchwood Court resident who organized a petition opposing the project, told the Tribune the petition had gathered more than 3,400 signatures as of Oct. 2.
"This area, this spot, is really a very bad choice for the city," Li said, according to the Tribune.
The commission split 4-2.
That was the June 3 vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission, which recommended the proposal to the full council, NCTV17 reported. Neighbors raised concerns about tree removal, traffic, density and the ecological value of the site at that hearing.
More than 2,100 trees have been inventoried on the property. Project attorney Russell Whitaker told the Tribune more than 1,300 would remain, more than 800 would be removed and 384 would be planted. About 55% of the site is planned as open space, according to the staff report, including a 0.62-acre park dedication to the Naperville Park District.
Forest Preserve says it won't pursue the land
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Board President Dan Hebreard wrote in a letter Wednesday, Sept. 30, that he did not support the district acquiring the property without a willing seller, though he supported it remaining open space, the Tribune reported. Neither the Forest Preserve District nor the DuPage Water Commission had approached the other about a sale.
DuPage Water Commission Chair Jim Zay told the Tribune the commission anticipated interest in the surplus land: "We did have a feeling looking at the property, looking at the area … that maybe somebody will be interested in housing or (a) warehouse."
How to participate
Residents who want to weigh in on the Oct. 6 vote can sign up to speak in person by 6:30 p.m. that day or submit written comments by 4 p.m., according to the city's meeting notice. Speakers on the agenda item may address the council for up to three minutes. The petitioner's attorney may speak for up to 10 minutes.
City Hall week ahead
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. — Naperville City Council meeting, Council Chambers, Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St. Agenda item 26-0675B: Naperville Ridge annexation and development petition. View the agenda.
