Builder interested in developing former Lombard seminary campus with roughly 160 townhouses

Less than a decade ago, a Baptist seminary moved its main campus from Lombard to Lisle, leaving a uniquely shaped property east of the Yorktown Center shopping mall.

Plans for a multiphased redevelopment of the campus — including a golf driving range with a Moretti’s restaurant, along with a future residential component — never materialized.

Another developer has now stepped forward with a new, preliminary concept, and it’s strictly residential.

Homebuilder D.R. Horton has floated a proposal to develop the former Northern Baptist Theological Seminary property with approximately 159 townhouse units. Horton built a townhouse community along the mall’s ring road and wants to extend that development west. Apartments developers have also been part of the residential building trend around Yorktown, adding a built-in audience to support the mall.

“We’ve had some success, obviously, with the Summit at Yorktown in our first phase,” said Chris Funkhouser, a land acquisition project manager with D.R. Horton.

The seminary moved to Lisle in 2017. The Lombard property spans nearly 27 acres.

“I think that this particular property is very awkwardly shaped. There's a lot of wetlands, and there's a lot of things that we can't do with it. So I like the concept of this because it fits with what's going on around the area,” said Leigh Giuliano, chairwoman of the village’s plan commission.

There’s a large detention pond on the south leg of the property. According to a village memo, the bulk of the developable area is not visible from either Butterfield Road or 22nd Street.

“Residential seems reasonable. It's maybe not viable for commercial with the lack of visibility from the major thoroughfares,” said Robert Spreenberg, another member of the plan commission.

The advisory panel has offered informal feedback on the concept site plan. Such a project would require a rezoning of the property and a comprehensive plan amendment.

Under the previous plans, the redevelopment would have included a gas station and some convenience retail on the southern tail of the site. A future development parcel would have been made available for potentially up to 400 units of apartments to the east of the driving range area.

Seminary campus buildings have been demolished. And Lombard has acquired a small portion — less than 1 acre — of the property for a new water tower.

“Construction will begin shortly on the water tower,” said Anna Papke, the village’s planning and zoning manager. “But the remainder of the redevelopment, all the commercial development, the multifamily development, has not occurred.”

The homebuilder’s goal is to work through the entitlement process with the village, break ground in late 2026 and open for sales in 2027.

“We have been aware of and tracking this site since 2023,” said Cole Tyrell, region vice president for D.R. Horton’s North region, in a statement. “With the success of our Summit at Yorktown community, we are looking for opportunities to extend our presence in Lombard and other nearby western suburbs.”

Should Horton proceed to a formal petition for zoning entitlements, per the memo, the builder would provide preliminary engineering and architectural plans for staff and plan commission review.

“The intended use of this site is a for-sale community,” Tyrell said, “but our goal is to maintain optionality as we work through the entitlement process to allow us the flexibility to adjust our product offerings in changing market conditions and support the viability of our communities.”