'Barrier-free' townhouses for seniors coming to south Naperville

Instead of a shopping center, a vacant corner in south Naperville will be turned into 60 townhouses targeted at seniors.

The city council this week approved the Enclave at Ashwood Park, which will offer 1,300-square-foot units at the northwest corner of 111th Street and 248th Avenue. The townhouses will be built on slabs with wide hallways and doors for easy wheelchair access and no-step entry.

"I love the idea that it's barrier-free," city council member Judith Brodhead said. "There isn't very much in town at all that's like that."

The land for the townhouses was zoned to be a community shopping center, but the council approved a rezoning to residential by a 7-1 vote with council member Kevin Gallaher opposed and Paul Hinterlong absent.

Gallaher said he wished Enclave at Ashwood Park plans would have included some open space within the 9-acre site or an age restriction to ensure all residents are seniors. Others said they don't mind that the developer, Blue Napervillas LLC, is taking advantage of nearby Commissioners Park and other regional walking paths to serve as a recreation area for the new neighborhood.

"It's a nice fit," Mayor Steve Chirico said. "You did leverage the amenities in the region very nicely to accommodate the use."

When the development came before the planning and zoning commission, it had the support of the city's senior task force. The group is focusing on housing as an unmet need of seniors who may need a more accessible home or may want to downsize but remain in the area.

"We're excited about the project," said Russ Whitaker, an attorney representing the developer. "It adds diversity to the senior housing landscape in Naperville."

The subdivision will be age-targeted instead of age-restricted and Whitaker said units could rent for roughly $2,000 a month.