A new micro-unit apartment project within Naperville could take root at the current site of a parking lot that in the past functioned as a place for commuters to park.
Petitioner 540 Weston Ridge LLC has proposed construction of the residential development on a 1.5-acre site at 540 Weston Ridge Drive, just south of North Aurora Road. The development proposal is being named the Weston Ridge Apartments.
Other nearby developments include the Weston Ridge Industrial Park, the Route 59 Parking Lot, Railway Plaza, and the Railway Plaza Apartments.
The Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the micro-unit proposal at its meeting Wednesday, Aug. 19, and is forwarding it on to the decision-making city council with a favorable recommendation.
Increasing housing stock, affordable housing
Caitlin Csuk with the Naperville-based law firm of Rosanova and Whitaker served as the project spokesperson in the meeting with commissioners. 540 Weston Ridge LLC representatives have retained Rosanova and Whitaker as the petition works through local government reviews.
In her comments, Csuk said the property has been underutilized and described the plans presented as a “creative solution” to an oft-discussed issue within Naperville.
“There’s no doubt that the lack of need for commuter parking is the direct result of COVID-19, now that working from home and hybrid work schedules have become the norm, following the pandemic,” Csuk said. “With that, the subject property remains vacant, unoccupied, and provides zero net benefit to the community today.”
Alongside the commuter parking decline, Csuk touched on the need for additional housing stock that has been identified in Naperville and many other locales across the U.S.
“On a broad level, we all understand that there is a national housing shortage,” Csuk said. “The lack of housing is driving price points up everywhere, whether it’s for sale or for rent.”
Within Naperville, prior housing needs assessments have indicated the city needs between 11,700 and 13,000 housing units by 2040 to accommodate projected population.
Image courtesy: 540 Weston Ridge LLC
A look inside the project proposal
According to details submitted by the petitioner, each of the 650 micro-units would range in size from 506 square feet to 640 square feet.
“The proposed micro-units are intended to provide an attainable housing option for rent-burdened renters, with numerous onsite amenities,” Community Planner Sara Kopinski wrote in her staff report.
As proposed, Csuk said Weston Ridge Apartments will offer a number of ground-level amenities, including a community room, fitness center, and an outdoor grill area.
Architecture is intended to match the characteristics of buildings in the surrounding area. The building is intended to represent what Kopinski described as a “modern loft-style industrial building,” in her planner’s report.
Csuk said the petitioner also is taking an intentional approach with landscaping, particularly on the perimeter of the property. The goal, she said, is to “create a sense of privacy.”
“We want to make sure that residents can enjoy that area,” Csuk said. “We don’t want them to feel like they’re sitting in a parking lot. We want that to be a nice, usable area and space.”
The target market for the Weston Ridge Apartments includes active adults age 55 and up, young professionals, empty nesters, and commuters.
“We also anticipate that this project will be attractive to individuals seeking to live in and work in Naperville, who are otherwise priced out of the community,” Csuk added.
From a technical standpoint, 540 Weston Ridge LLC is seeking several entitlements from the city, which are necessary for the project to move forward. The list includes increasing permissible density within the site from 25 residential units to 65 residential units and increasing the maximum building height from 43 feet to 47 feet.
Commissioners weigh in on project plans
During deliberations, commissioners weighed in with mostly positive comments about the project plans and the intent behind the development.
One issue that popped up throughout the questioning revolved around parking. The petitioner’s plans call for 73 on-site parking spaces, which is eight more than the number of units.
“It’s very limited overflow parking,” commissioner Mark Wright said. “If you have five people with a significant other, with a car, it’s going to be extremely tight.”
Csuk, in response, said there are limited options for adding more parking spaces, but expressed confidence the numbers provided are adequate, comparing this development to other nearby apartment projects.
“There’s really not anywhere to add additional parking on-site, because we’re incorporating those first floor, ground-level units with the private entrances,” Csuk said in speaking to one of the design elements. “If we weren’t incorporating that feature into the project, we could put more parking along the building.”
Commissioner Allison Longenbaugh said she would have preferred more specificity around the term “attainable,” which is a descriptor attached to the project details.
“About affordability, the petition and the presentation both mention attainability, but there are no restrictions tied to that,” she said. “While I’m sure this will be added to the council catalog of affordable wins, it is not binding, which is kind of disappointing since there’s just been a whole lot of talk about affordability in town.”
But Longenbaugh and other commissioners gave the project proposal high marks for addressing a need within the community and breathing renewed life into a dormant property.
“I enthusiastically support this,” Longenbaugh added. “I love the micro-apartments; I think it is awesome. I visited (the site) on Saturday, and I think it is a totally appropriate place for density and height, so I do not have any issues with any of the variances.”
Wright also expressed enthusiasm for the plans unveiled, while echoing the attainability concerns Longenbaugh mentioned.
“I absolutely love this project,” he said. “I love where it is. I love the way that the project looks.”
Commissioner Derek McDaniel said he believed the project plans would benefit the community.
“I, like the other commissioners, really do believe that this represents a very positive step forward towards providing more attainable housing options to our community,” he said.
Image courtesy: 540 Weston Ridge LLC
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