Developer proposes 90 new townhouses, row houses near Naperville gateway
A gateway into Naperville, East Ogden Avenue has seen a wave of development, from a new Costco and an Amazon Fresh grocery store to a First Watch restaurant.
But just beyond the busy corridor, an unincorporated area near the northwest corner of Naper Boulevard and Plank Road is mostly open land.
Real estate firm Lincoln Property Co. wants to change that.
Lincoln has proposed a 90-unit residential development containing both townhouses and row houses within walking distance of the popular Growing Place garden center. The developer is asking the city of Naperville to annex the properties — more than eight acres — into its boundaries.
“Single-family rental communities are very popular across the country in different markets,” Lincoln Senior Vice President Bryan Farquhar said. “And there's really a lack of inventory in this particular market. And based on our local experience, we felt that Naperville provided a tremendous opportunity to provide a diversification of housing options locally.”
Such communities are popular for a number of reasons, Farquhar said, pointing to flexibility, mobility, amenity access and the reduced burden of maintenance and property upkeep. You’re experiencing a “neighborhood feel,” he said, but without the obligations that come with long-term home ownership.
The Residences at Naper & Plank would have a mix of housing types — 34 two-story townhouses and 56 three-story row houses — ranging in size from 1,550 to 1,950 square feet. Currently, the rents are estimated to range between $3,900 and $5,000.
“The younger demographic generally will go towards the three-story product,” Farquhar said, while an older demographic will tend to favor the two-story townhouse product.
The project would represent a more than $50 million investment.
“We're also going to deliver a number of improvements to the site that will benefit the neighborhood, from roadway upgrades, sidewalks, sewer and water infrastructure upgrades, a new public park, just to name a few,” Farquhar said.
Naperville’s planning and zoning commission is scheduled to consider the proposal on Wednesday, May 21. The developer is also asking the city to rezone the properties and to approve a deviation to permit a maximum building height of 38 feet for the row homes only, among other requests.
Another development proposal called for construction of a 268-unit, four-story apartment complex on “land surrounded by Tuthill Road, Plank Road, Naper Blvd. and private residences,” according to an online petition that was created in 2022 and raised concerns about density, traffic, pedestrian safety and other issues.
“The property has long been designated within city planning documents as transitional housing, which was the town home, duplex model, as opposed to high-density residential,” Farquhar said.
Area residents, however, would like to see single-family homes and are worried about increased congestion, according to emails to the city about the Lincoln development. The opening of the 7 Brew coffee stand and Costco “has led to a significant rise in traffic, causing issues for drivers on Plank Road and Tuthill Road,” one resident wrote.
The two-story townhouses would be located along Burlington Avenue and Tuthill to “compliment the traditional single-family homes” to the west, according to documents submitted to the city.
People would access the Lincoln development via Tuthill Road and Burlington Avenue and their respective intersections with Ogden Avenue, Plank Road, and Naperville-Wheaton Road, a traffic report indicates.
Lincoln intends to provide roughly 2.34 acres of open space, or 31%, comprised of common gathering areas and walking paths throughout the development, city documents state. In addition, the developer is proposing to separately dedicate approximately 0.62 acres to the Naperville Park District for a publicly accessible park.
The adjacent roadways will also be improved with curb and gutters, storm sewers, sidewalks, street lighting, and trees, according to a project website at naperandplank.com.
“Ultimately, I think we're helping the city move towards that goal of providing an array of housing options,” Farquhar said.
If approved, groundbreaking is anticipated this fall.