Townhome development proposed near Naperville, Wheaton roads    

Architect rendering of new townhome development proposal
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Undeveloped land on the east side of Naperville and Wheaton roads that had been eyed for single-family homes could instead morph into a townhome development, according to a proposal recently submitted to city officials.

Petitioner Naperville Wheaton LLC is seeking city approvals to construct two townhome buildings. The Naperville Wheaton Townhomes development would consist of 19 dwelling units on the combined 45,000-square-foot properties, which are located at the intersection, just south of Ogden Avenue.

Land annexed into Naperville four years ago

The properties were annexed into Naperville’s city limits in 2019 with the intention of developing four single-family detached residential homes. But that project, known as the Leigh Subdivision, never came to fruition.

Petitioner Vincent Rosanova said the initial residential proposal — which received approval from city officials upon annexation — has not gained any traction when he gave his preliminary proposal to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

The land, Rosanova said, was marketed on online brokerage and real estate sites, but did not yield strong interest in the residential development community.

“If somebody would have made me an offer — an acceptable offer — that was near the purchase price, obviously, I would’ve accepted it,” Rosanova said of the land’s still-dormant state.

Speaking to the current status of the land, Rosanova said it “continues to sit vacant, underperforming, contributing absolutely nothing to the city’s economy or the surrounding area.”

Geared toward renters earning between $50,000-$100,000

The lack of affordable housing within Naperville has been a talking point. In his proposal, Rosanova said the Naperville Wheaton Townhome project is aimed at addressing that deficit.

“This segment of our population makes up 25 percent of our total population,” Rosanova said. “On the trajectory we’re on — where we’re not providing affordable housing opportunities — we’re on track in five years where that will further decline to 20 percent.”

Based on the proposal submitted, Naperville Wheaton Townhomes would charge monthly rents ranging from $1,600 to $2,200 per month, depending on the number of bedrooms and other variations within each unit. Rosanova described the rental range as “local affordable.”

Traffic, drainage and snow removal concerns

The Planning and Zoning Commission passed the townhome proposal on to the decision-making city council with a favorable recommendation.

During deliberations, however, there were concerns raised, including traffic impact on the surrounding area and how snow would be removed from the site when there are heavy weather events.

Drainage, which is an ongoing topic of concern in and near unincorporated areas of Naperville’s current municipal limits, also was discussed.

Resident Kevin Madden, who was among the residents who provided testimony at the planning and zoning commission meeting, shared some of those concerns.

“Overall, I think the proposal is not an entirely terrible one,” Madden said. “It just needs to be scaled back to work within the code requirements.”

Image courtesy: Studio21 Architects; Naperville Wheaton LLC

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