A 262-unit townhouse/rowhouse development planned for the site of a rejected data center is set to go before the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission next week.
The proposed “Towns at Naper Commons” would be located at the northwest corner of Warrenville and Naperville roads, just south of the existing Nokia office building and Naper Commons residences. According to planning documents, the property is about 40 acres and the development would have an overall density of approximately 6.5 dwelling units per acre.
Housing options broadly include two options: two-story townhomes with garages in front, ranging from 1,858 to 2,474 square feet, and three-story rowhomes with rear garages, ranging from 2,219 to 2,771 square feet.
Should it receive approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council, the Towns at Naper Commons would revitalize a property that has long been vacant and was most recently the subject for a controversial data center.
Developer Karis Critical argued that the center was consistent with the I-88 corridor’s historic research and industry use, but neighboring property owners and other opponents said they believed it would be detrimental to residents’ health and quality of life. The council rejected the plan in January.
In response to those concerns, property owner Franklin 1960 Lucent Lane pivoted to a housing development and presented a draft of that development to the city council in March. Pulte Homes, which built the adjacent Naper Commons subdivision, was selected as the partner for the housing project.
Rich Janor, a Naper Commons resident and outspoken critic during the data center debacle, said that the housing development is “a much better use for this property” given its proximity to existing homes. He said his neighbors seem to agree.
“As I recall, this past weekend, some people jokingly said, ‘Well, at least we’re not having to sell our homes because there’s a number of people if that data center came there that would have absolutely put their homes on the market and just got out of there,” he said.
In addition to housing, the development would include 11,000 square feet of open field park, along with multiple courtyard spaces spread throughout the community.
Neighboring Naper Commons already has a park in its subdivision, which project attorney Russ Whitaker thinks will also be used by prospective residents of the Towns at Naper Commons. As a result, the developer included more “passive open space” for this project to provide something different, he said.
“This is a more urban format,” Whitaker said. “I look at the proximity to commercial uses and the adjacent roadways and we wanted to create some internal courtyards that were sort of isolated from that and provided that passive recreational opportunity.”
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The developer is requesting multiple variances for the project. One of those is a request to rezone 35 acres of land from office, research and light industry (ORI) to single-family and low-density multiple family residential use.
The single-family and low-density multiple family use is not only consistent with the city’s land use master plan but will also promote cohesion with the adjacent Naper Commons and “offers attainable options for a variety of residents, including young professionals, families, and downsizers,” the planning document said.
“From a public welfare and economic standpoint, the existing ORI zoning has proven ineffective, as evidenced by prolonged vacancy and the eventual demolition of the former office building,” the document said, referring to the Alcatel-Lucent office building that was previously at the site.
Another variance would allow the height of the townhomes to permit four stories. This is because some of the three-story residences have flat roofs that lead up to a rooftop terrace, while others are designed with a more traditional roof structure with a habitable attic space. While the attic does not actually increase the height of the building, it is considered another story under city code.
Other variance requests include allowance of a 15-foot front yard setback for the units with rear garages, a reduction in the number of parkway trees, allowing the height of the townhomes to be measured from grade to the mean of the roof and a conditional use to build townhomes in a single-family and low-density multiple family residence district.
Anticipated pricing for the homes will range from $515,000 to $680,000 per residence. While none of the units are designated as affordable units, Whitaker said that the development will increase housing diversity in Naperville which could in turn address the city’s housing needs.
“Naperville has identified this housing shortage and this is one way where we begin to fill a very large gap between supply and demand,” he said.
While residents at Naper Commons appear to mostly be for the housing proposal, Janor did note that in talking to some of his neighbors, there was a desire to incorporate some sort of local business or other amenity into the development.
“There’s many residents in Naper Commons, especially moms, that would love to see a coffee shop or an ice cream shop or a community pool,” Janor said, a suggestion that was also brought up at the March council meeting. “But I think as far as what is realistic, I think this is as good as we’re going to get.”