Naperville commission gives thumbs-up to townhouse, row house development
A developer of a proposed townhouse and row house development near the Ogden Avenue commercial corridor in Naperville aims to appeal to a mix of residents.
Units would be geared toward “active adults” over 55, millennials and Gen Z, as well as singles and couples over 35.
“What these folks look for is maintenance-free living,” said Vince Rosanova, an attorney representing the developer. “Most of us are accustomed to getting repair bills, roof bills, HVAC bills and all sorts of bills. You have very predictable costs in a community like this. You pay your rent, and you're not going to get any surprises.”
Real estate firm Lincoln Property Co. wants to build 34 two-story townhouses and 56 three-story row houses within walking distance of the Growing Place garden center. Rents are estimated to range from $3,900 to $5,000.
“As somebody who operates in this space, the rents are in line with other build-to-rent town homes, other high-end apartments that are in the area,” said Michele Clemen, a Naperville planning and zoning commissioner. “One of the buildings I manage, we have a three-bedroom apartment that is in the high three to $4,000 per month rental. This is not out of the ordinary. I also think it addresses the housing shortage we have, not only in Naperville, but in DuPage County.”
Planning and zoning commissioners last week recommended approval of the requested entitlements for the development, known as the Residences at Naper and Plank. Lincoln is asking the city to rezone the properties and to grant a deviation for a maximum building height of 38 feet for the proposed row homes, among other requests.
The developer also is asking the city to annex the properties — more than eight acres — into its boundaries. The area is unincorporated, and “other than a few single-family homes on the property that have seen better days is vacant,” Rosanova said.
The two-story townhouses would be located along Burlington Avenue and Tuthill Road to “compliment the traditional single-family homes” to the west, according to documents submitted to the city.
Still, some area residents would rather see the construction of single-family homes and have concerns about traffic. There’s an “insane amount of traffic that is from this coffee shop, especially at night,” said Andrew Serino, referring to the 7 Brew drive-through.
“As you move through these roads with Tuthill and Plank, with 7 Brew and Costco and all these other commercial kind of entities in place, there is a pretty big noticeable difference on trying to just get through our neighborhood now,” he said.
Whitney Robbins, who also serves on the commission, an advisory panel, told neighbors to make their concerns known through city council and reaching out to staff.
“We're looking at the land and what makes sense, and as far as what we've been shown, I think it's a really well thought-out plan,” Robbins said.
She said she’s “on Plank every single day.”
“So I hear you, and I have some of those same concerns, but I do feel that with the plan that has been put in place and the effort, I trust that you guys will do what is right, and you will all continue to push your questions and concerns to city council,” Robbins said.
Rosanova called the nature of the area “transitional.”
To the north, “you have the Vantage micro-apartments, Chase Bank, Amazon Fresh,” he said, adding that the I-88 employment corridor is going to be “very attractive for future residents of this community as well.”