Naperville backs affordable housing development

Naperville City Council members this week unanimously approved an affordable housing development for senior citizens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Wisconsin based Gorman & Company plans to build a 71-unit housing development on city-owned property. In 2021, Naperville officials sought proposals for affordable housing on the property, located southeast of 103rd Street and Route 59 off Tower Court.

The Wisconsin developer has 170 projects across the United States, officials said.

For the Naperville project, Gorman & Company worked with the Lisle-based Ray Graham Association, which works with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Council members backed variances allowing for a reduction in the required parking spaces, square footage for each unit and the amount of brick masonry used for the project. The project will include a common area and walking paths for residents.

“The proposed product will support the city’s affordable housing needs and help ensure the city’s housing stock is diverse, responsive to community needs and accessible to everybody,” city officials wrote in a memo to the council.

City council member Jennifer Bruzan Taylor agreed saying the project will meet a “huge need in our community.”

Gorman & Company officials said they hope to close on the property in 2025 and anticipate having residents move in sometime in 2027.