Nearly 300 more apartments planned for Naperville’s CityGate Centre campus

Naperville’s CityGate Centre campus has developed over the years with a mix of offices, restaurants, the boutique Hotel Arista and 285 high-end apartments.

As noted in a study on the future of the I-88 business corridor, the Domain CityGate residential complex was “quickly absorbed and now has a vacancy rate of less than 5%.” That study was released last year by the Naperville Development Partnership.

Developer Willow Bridge, formerly the residential division of Lincoln Property Co., now wants to add nearly 300 more upscale apartments to CityGate Centre.

The planned four-story building — surrounding a five-story parking garage — is designed to appeal to young professionals, remote workers and 55-plus adults with extensive amenities: a fitness center, a sauna and cold plunge, a co-working lounge, a “resort-style” outdoor pool, a pet spa, and “the list goes on,” said Eric Prechtel, an attorney for the project.

Naperville planning and zoning commissioners have endorsed the proposed development, advancing it to the city council.

“Our proposal builds on the success of and strong demand for our award-winning companion property at CityGate Centre, by adding another thoughtfully planned residential community in northwest Naperville,” said Joe Segobiano, Willow Bridge senior vice president, in a written statement.

“Our new hospitality-first community will provide residents with amenities inside the building and just outside the front door at the thriving CityGate Centre, which offers walking access to dining, a hotel, a spa, a coffee shop, and more.

“Offering more housing options, choice, and maintenance-free living that individuals want, especially young professionals, active adults, and those seeking alternatives to expensive single-family homes, benefits the economy and strengthens the community,” Segobiano added.

Plans call for 297 apartments — none are three-bedroom units — on roughly 5 acres south of Ferry Road. Most of the apartments would be studio or one-bedroom units, with rents projected from $1,900 to $2,400 per month. Anticipated rents for two-bedroom units would range from $3,000 to $4,400 a month.

The property is “predominantly vacant,” except for a surface parking lot and a pickleball court, according to Anna Franco, who’s part of the city’s planning services team. The existing Domain CityGate complex stands to the west.

“Much of the success that we've attributed to Domain is because of the high level of amenities that are provided there,” Prechtel told the commission last week.

The development would further support the city’s “larger goals of revitalizing the I-88 corridor” by providing homes to support jobs, diversifying its housing stock and enhancing its tax base, project documents state.

Businesses and restaurants “are going to be very happy to have additional foot traffic there,” said Derek McDaniel, a member of the advisory panel.

Commissioner Meghna Bansal, though, voted against the plans and had concerns about the proposed density.

“The code allows 83 units and the proposed 297 — that's 3.5 times more density than normally allowed,” she said, referring to the developer’s request for a deviation to reduce the required lot area for multifamily units.

Prechtel made the case that it’s appropriate.

“We're not adjacent to residential neighborhoods,” he said. “We're adjacent to an apartment complex. We're adjacent to retail uses, restaurants, Hotel Arista. We have easy access to both Route 59, I-88.”

Chairwoman Whitney Robbins said it’s “right in line with what is already going on, and it just complements it.”

According to project documents, CityGate Centre Ventures II LLC, an affiliate of Willow Bridge Property Co., is the contract purchaser of the property. Calamos Property Holdings LLC is the sole member of CityGate Centre III LLC, the owner of the property.