A 171-unit townhouse development cleared its first major hurdle on 25 acres that have sat vacant near the Route 59 and Interstate 88 interchange since a hockey arena proposal fell through in 2018.

The Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday, June 17 to endorse NorthGate of Naperville, a subdivision of 32 townhouse buildings proposed by M/I Homes at 2255 Monarch Drive, at the northwest corner of Ferry Road and Comfort Drive. The project now heads to the Naperville City Council for a final vote, though no hearing date has been scheduled.

City staff pushed back. Anna Franco, a member of the city's planning services team, told commissioners that townhouse-style units are not listed as a primary or supporting use under the site's "regional center" designation in the land use master plan.

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

The commission 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 supported the project and endorsed a staff recommendation that buyers receive a disclosure warning them that the adjacent Prairie Point business park to the east could see more intensive industrial development in the future.

The proposed two- and three-story townhouses would top out at 35 feet. Greg Collins, director of land acquisition for M/I Homes, noted that's well below the 60-foot height of the hockey arena once planned for the site. Plans include 10 acres of open space, with 3.4 acres set aside for a Naperville Park District park and playground. The development would provide 779 parking spaces across garages, driveways, and streets.

Franco noted the development is entirely market-rate with no affordability component. According to project plans, at least 25% of units would meet visitability standards, including zero-step entries and wide doorways, a feature Commissioner Allison Longenbaugh praised.

The site sits between the Monarch Landing senior living campus to the west and Prairie Point industrial park to the east. Staff warned that future townhouse buyers may not appreciate the industrial neighbor and recommended the disclosure as a condition of approval.

Broader I-88 corridor context

The NorthGate proposal lands as the city grapples with a wave of residential development along I-88. The council voted in May 2026 to spend $150,000 on a corridor study to update what City Manager Doug Krieger called "dated" zoning. Mayor Scott Wehrli has publicly questioned whether the corridor is becoming too residential, asking whether Naperville wants "a business corridor along I-88, or are we comfortable becoming a community that relies on its residents to pay for services?"

A separate 297-unit luxury apartment building at CityGate Centre, at the same Ferry Road and Comfort Drive intersection, received commission approval on Wednesday, June 4. Combined, the two projects would bring nearly 470 new housing units to a single interchange.

Residents can monitor the City Council agenda for a scheduled NorthGate hearing at naperville.il.us.