Pulte wants to buy DuPage Water Commission land for $14 million to build ‘Naperville Ridge’ duplexes

An undeveloped property on the south side of 75th Street stands out between homes in the city of Naperville to the west and apartments in the village of Woodridge to the east.

The unincorporated site, by contrast, is densely wooded. The owner, the DuPage Water Commission, plans to sell it to a prolific homebuilder for $14 million.

“The property was sitting vacant, and this was the best use for it,” said Jim Zay, chairman of the commission’s board.

Specifically, Pulte Home Co. wants to acquire it to build a 94-unit duplex neighborhood called “Naperville Ridge.”

Project documents filed with the city described it as “a new high-end opportunity for empty nesters and pre-empty nesters to downsize.” The duplexes would feature first-floor primary bedrooms.

Some neighbors, however, are opposed to the proposed development and intend to voice concerns at a Naperville planning and zoning commission meeting Wednesday night. The city council will also consider an annexation request at a subsequent public hearing.

“I’m pretty passionate about saving this area,” said Jill Henry, who lives in the Cinnamon Creek subdivision to the west.

She believes the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County should try to buy the property instead.

“This parcel is one of the few heavily wooded properties left in DuPage County, is rich with wetlands and shares a corner with the Greene Valley Forest Preserve,” Rita Treonis, an unincorporated resident, recently told the forest preserve board.

In a written statement, Forest Preserve President Daniel Hebreard said residents and other government organizations throughout the county are aware of the district’s “strong interest in preserving open space.

“The DuPage Water Commission has not approached the District regarding any plans for the water commission property on 75th Street,” he added. “Respectfully, the forest preserve doesn’t comment or speculate publicly on specific properties to avoid driving up potential taxpayer costs for acquisition.”

The water commission board last year declared it surplus property and authorized the Elmhurst-based agency to receive and consider written offers.

“Since we started this, we've never had any communications,” Zay said. “No one from the forest preserve has ever contacted us.”

Only a small portion is used by the commission as a water storage site, according to a February 2025 board meeting packet. Agency staff “does not believe the remainder of the site would ever be utilized for additional water utility infrastructure.”

Pulte is the contract purchaser of roughly 32 acres. MaRous & Co. appraised its value at $10.8 million.

“If we didn’t get any substantial offers, the board could have held on to it, but this was a very substantial offer, above the appraised value,” said Zay, adding that the commission has a responsibility to its customers to get the most that it can for the property.

Due to “the unexpected size and type of the wetlands on the property,” the builder changed the type of proposed product from detached single-family homes to attached single-family homes to preserve the wetlands and associated buffer, according to water commission documents.

The board agreed to eliminate a premium charge for additional units, regardless of the number of lots or units approved.

Plans show two outlets would be formally identified as “conservation areas.” Pulte has had preliminary discussions with the Conservation Foundation about management and maintenance of those areas, with such efforts to be funded by a homeowner’s association, project documents note. Pulte has previously worked with the Conservation Foundation on the Atwater development in Naperville.

Neighbors, though, are upset about the removal of native trees, including oaks.

“There’s vacant land for sale that’s unused commercial, unused farmland. There isn’t a shortage of places to build homes,” Treonis said. “But there is a shortage of woodlands and wetlands that are left to be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of everybody.”