Controversial Naperville Ridge housing project heads to Naperville City Council Tuesday

Rita Treonis grew up in unincorporated Naperville about a mile from her current home. The 37-year-old loved going to nearby forest preserves so much as a kid that it was a contributing factor for picking her present home on Wayewood Lane.

When she found out in spring of 2025 that a heavily wooded property bordering her home could be sold for development, she immediately started digging into the topic, fearful of what it could mean for another nature area that defined her community.

Now, Treonis and her neighbors are pushing back on a proposal to build 94 duplexes on a 32-acre property off 75th Street near two water towers.

“Everyone is building houses and buildings, but nobody is building woodlands and wetlands anymore,” Treonis said. “And I think the ones that we do have absolutely deserve to be protected for the benefit of everyone.”

On Tuesday, the Naperville City Council will decide whether to move forward with the project known as Naperville Ridge.

The development would target empty-nesters looking to downsize and feature first-floor master bedrooms. Pricing for homes is anticipated to begin at $700,000 per duplex.

Pulte Homes Co. is the developer and plans to buy the 32 acres, deemed surplus by the DuPage Water Commission, for $14 million.

“We did have a feeling looking at the property, looking at the area … that maybe somebody will be interested in housing or (a) warehouse,” said DuPage Water Commission Chair Jim Zay.

Naperville Ridge would require annexation into the city, zoning to an R2 district for low-density multifamily housing and a conditional use to allow the proposal to be processed as a planned unit development.

Pulte is also seeking permission to build an eight-foot-tall fence along the east property line — above the typical six-foot height limit — and to plant fewer parkway trees than required by code.

In addition to the 94-unit duplex neighborhood, 17.37 acres of the property would be dedicated to native planting, restoration and preservation. That includes about 11 acres for woodland and wetland preservation. A separate organization like the Conservation Foundation would help maintain the open space, with those efforts funded by a homeowners association.

The Conservation Foundation is neither for nor against the proposal. Ideally, foundation officials said, they would like to see the land remain open and forested, but if it is developed, they would want to preserve as much of the nature as possible.

“So we think that in land development, there’s got to be a balancing of interests, not all or nothing propositions, and this project appropriately balances interest between preservation and addressing the housing crisis,” said Russ Whitaker, an attorney for the project.

But some neighbors believe that the property would be better off without the housing.

“A big reason why we bought this home is (because) it’s near this piece of forest and it’s very quiet with (a) great environment,” said Sicong Li, who lives off Hatchwood Court and started a petition that has since garnered over 3,400 signatures.

Jill Henry of the Cinnamon Creek subdivision felt similarly.

“My biggest concern is the ecological damage that it’s going to do if it is built, because the property is pretty much untouched and it has a lot of native plants and pretty old-growth oaks that are growing within it,” Henry said.

She would like to see an organization like the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County take on the piece of land, but the forest preserve district has never approached the DuPage Water Commission about acquiring the land and vice versa.

“In absence of a willing seller, I do not support taking action as the Forest Preserve District to acquire this property,” Forest Preserve District Board President Daniel Hebreard said in a Sept. 30 letter to the mayor and city council.

He was, however, in support of the property remaining as open space.

Residents have also shared concerns about the future of the trees on the property, which include hickories and oaks that provide potential habitats for threatened and endangered bats. Whitaker, however, said that there was nothing unique about the property as it related to threatened and endangered species.

More than 2,100 trees have been inventoried on the property. Of those trees, over 1,300 trees would remain while over 800 would be removed, Whitaker said. Additionally, 384 trees would be planted.

The majority of the duplexes will go on the southeast corner of the property, which was damaged by an EF-3 tornado in 2021. A tree survey was not conducted there due to the tornado damage, but some neighbors argue that one should have been done.

“The tornado of 2021 went right over my house and into the property, so there is some damage from some of the trees there, but there’s a lot of growth that’s happened since then, so it’s been pretty neat to kind of witness the regrowth that’s happening,” Henry said.

Whitaker disagreed.

“In that area of the tornado damage, we went in and we took off like a 200-by-200-foot area, and we looked at what trees were in that 200-by-200-foot area and we confirmed that there was very little left of value,” he said, adding that the storm-damaged area is unlikely to see proper regeneration without significant human intervention.

Some neighbors also speculate that there may be more wetlands on the property than previously identified. Whitaker denied this claim, noting that licensed scientists conducted the evaluations and that they were independently verified by DuPage County.

“I see this as a case of balancing interest. … Is your priority going to be saving trees, or is your priority going to be providing housing in order to meet the needs of Naperville residents?” Whitaker said.

But for some neighbors, the answer is clear: the development does not belong.

“I’m very frustrated. I’m not against more housing,” said Li. “But this area, this spot, is really a very bad choice for the city and it’s not suitable for developing a new neighborhood.”

cstein@chicagotribune.com