Residents who live near the site of a proposed 212-unit luxury apartment complex on Naperville’s far south side say the traffic it will generate will only add to the congestion already clogging 111th Street.
A half dozen residents appeared before the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission last month to raise concerns about the number of vehicles that would be turning in and out of the complex in an area that already has problems due to its proximity to Route 59 and shopping areas.
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Despite those complaints, Pollination Properties of Yorkville received the commission’s recommendation that the 20-acre site be annexed into Naperville and rezoned for a multifamily residential development.
The land, formerly home to Lizzie’s Nursery just behind Naperville Marketplace shopping center, currently is in unincorporated Will County and zoned for agriculture.
Residents will have another opportunity to voice their objections when the project goes to the Naperville City Council for final approval July 19.
Patti Bernhard, an attorney representing the developer, said the Belvidere apartment complex will feature a series of two-story buildings along the exterior of the property with parking for the units in the center.
The plan is to preserve the site’s existing natural features, such as a mature evergreen tree line along the west property line abutting the Tamarack Fairways neighborhood and a creek that traverses the northern portion of the site, Bernhard said.
Amenities will include a clubhouse and pool, walking paths, a playground and dog park, she said.
Apartment rents will range from about $1,950 for a one-bedroom to $3,050 for a three-bedroom, Bernhard said.
Nadia Khalil, who lives in Tamarack Fairways, said traffic already backs up on 111th Street during afternoon rush hour while cars wait for the traffic light at Route 59. Additional vehicles will make it even worse, she said.
Tamarack Fairways resident Andrea Muhs said some mornings or late afternoons, it’s difficult to turn left or right out of their neighborhood.
She added that if the complex is built, she’d like the developer to put up a fence in addition to the evergreen tree along the west side of the property to prevent apartment residents from entering her back yard.
Martin Samojedny, president of the Tamarack Fairways Homeowners Association, said the development bumps up against the cart path for the sixth hole at the Tamarack Golf Club.
He questioned how the development company planned to keep residents off the golf course.
Senior traffic consultant Javier Millan with Rosemont-based KLOA said other new developments to the west and east were taken into account when his company conducted a study of traffic patterns for the proposed apartment complex, which is expected to increase traffic by 1%.
He suggested a reason people are noticing more backups is because drivers on 111th Street have to wait longer for the traffic signal to cycle at Route 59.
Two months ago the state, which has jurisdiction over Route 59, increased the signal cycle to 160 seconds in the afternoon, up from the previous 140 seconds, to allow more vehicles on Route 59 to get through the light, Millan said.
While the developer agreed to Naperville’s 50% masonry requirement for the complex, city staff raised concerns that the buildings are “too repetitious,” said community planner Sara Kopinski, who is with the city’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department.
Staff is recommending varying roof lines, color, contrast or other modifications to avoid a monotonous appearance, Kopinski said.
Commissioner Oriana Van Someren said she didn’t have a problem with the appearance, adding the drawings of the apartments looked like buildings in Northern California.
The commission recommended to the council that the design plans proceed as presented.
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