Naperville panel advances Pulte plans for DuPage Water Commission land despite neighbors’ concerns

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a photo caption.

As Pulte Home Co. adds new housing near Mill Street and Diehl Road in Naperville, the builder proposes yet another development, “Naperville Ridge,” this one pitched as an “enclave surrounded by natural areas and preserved trees.”

To make it happen, Pulte intends to buy the currently unincorporated site — roughly 32 acres — from the DuPage Water Commission for $14 million.

But Naperville residents and others prize the property as it is — heavily wooded green space, on the south side of 75th Street, between homes in the city to the west and apartments in the village of Woodridge to the east.

“I believe that this tract of land is a gem,” said Gerry Galloway, a Lisle Township trustee.

Naperville’s planning and zoning commission has backed the duplex project, but the advisory vote was not unanimous. The city council has the final say. It’s not scheduled yet for a council meeting.

“No project is perfect, and this one definitely isn't. I have concerns about the number of units that are being built,” said Derek McDaniel, a commission member.

Still, he voted in favor of the plans earlier this month. At some point, it’s going to be developed, McDaniel said, and there’s a “need for this type of home.”

“I would like Naperville to have the opportunity to have control,” commission Chair Whitney Robbins agreed.

Pulte plans a 94-unit duplex neighborhood, “essentially broken up into two different pods of homes,” attorney Caitlin Csuk said. Roughly 11 acres, she said, are made up of critical wetlands and their buffers.

“The whole project is specifically planned to conserve and improve the quality of these natural features and provide the required buffer, so that the wetlands can remain unimpacted,” Csuk said.

Neighbors, though, remain upset about the removal of trees, including hickories that provide potential habitats for bats.

“They’re part of a larger woodland and wetland ecosystem that can’t simply be re-created with replacement plantings,” said Jill Henry, who lives in the Cinnamon Creek subdivision to the west.

Of the more than 2,000 trees inventoried, plans call for keeping over 1,300. Additionally, 384 new trees would be planted. Around 850 would be removed. Of the 850, 338 are considered high-quality species.

“Unfortunately, they are in the zone of development and stormwater management,” said Sharon Dickson, a landscape architect. “Because we are being sensitive and very practical about highlighting that existing wetland and not impacting the existing wetland … that only allows so much land outside of that wetland and wetland buffer to be developed.”

The units would have first-floor primary bedrooms. Sales prices would range from $700,000 to $900,000 per duplex, Csuk wrote the city in March. Some residents questioned if two-story units would appeal to the intended demographic.

“These potential buyers are looking to downsize, but they're not necessarily looking to move into an age-restricted or senior housing community,” Csuk told the commission. “They're looking to stay in town and move somewhere with limited maintenance and passive recreation.”

The project team has been working with DuPage County to “see if there are opportunities to activate these natural areas without negatively impacting them,” she said.

Those include proposed limestone pathways as well as wildlife housing and nesting habitats.

“All of these amenities will be available for public use, where, in comparison to today’s condition, nobody is actually legally allowed to enter the private property and enjoy these natural features,” Csuk said.

Allison Longenbaugh, one of two commissioners who voted against the plans, noted that the homes lacked “zero-step entries.” She also was “wondering if it is the right use for the property.”

The property shares a corner with the Greene Valley Forest Preserve, said Rita Treonis, an unincorporated resident and project opponent.

“There isn’t a shortage of underutilized commercial lots in the Naperville area, and Pulte and other developers have been busy lately, buying them up and building on them,” she said. But, there is “absolutely a shortage of wetlands and woodlands left to preserve.”