A four-story, 297-unit luxury apartment complex has been proposed for CityGate Centre, the mixed-use campus filled with hotels, restaurants, offices and retail businesses off Route 59 and Interstate 88 in Naperville.
“CityGate II” would be built on about 5 acres at the southeast corner of Ferry Road and City Gate Lane, according to a petition submitted to the city by Willow Bridge Property Co. The building would be surrounded by a five-story parking deck.
Willow Bridge, a national company focused on affluent rental communities, has worked on a number of housing projects in Naperville, including the award-winning apartment complex adjacent to the proposed CityGate II development called Domain CityGate.
“We’re doing this on the heels of the success of Domain,” said Joe Segobiano, senior vice president for Willow Bridge. “That’s been extremely successful for us, but it’s also, we feel, been extremely successful for CityGate … and also for the broader community of Naperville.”
If approved, the development could help the city meet its goal of revitalizing the I-88 corridor, the petition said.
According to the Naperville I-88 Corridor Strategy, demand for multifamily housing along the corridor is high as the 285-unit Domain CityGate apartment complex demonstrated.
Since being completed in 2022, the complex was “quickly absorbed” and now has a vacancy rate of less than 5%, the study said. Another multifamily development off the I-88 corridor called Dwell at Naperville was performing similarly well, with a vacancy rate of about 5%.
“By adding multifamily housing at this location … you provide housing for a lot of workers in the I-88 corridor, which is then going to contribute to the success of the office,” Segobiano said. “Office owners really like to have housing that is in close proximity and that is of a price point that gives people the alternative to rent.”
CityGate II, he said, should be viewed as an “additive to office space” along I-88, not as a development “in lieu” of it.
CityGate II’s proximity to numerous restaurants as well as key transportation corridors like the I-88 and Route 59 interchange will make it an attractive place for potential residents, its petition said.
“We like to be in locations where we have amenities for our residents outside of the front door, and we think the CityGate campus gives us that opportunity,” Segobiano said. “There are restaurants, there’s walking paths, offices right on campus … the location, we think, is just fabulous.”
If approved, CityGate II will consist of 46 studio, 179 one-bedroom, 64 two-bedroom and eight two-bedroom with den apartments.
The property is surrounded by Domain CityGate to the west, Nicor Gas’ corporate office to the east, Calamos Corporate and office uses to the south and Dart Warehouse, Monarch Landing and vacant land to the north. The site currently is occupied by a 79-space surface parking lot.
“Wrap style” residences — a design in which residential units are “built in a square or U-shape around a central, above-ground parking garage” — are proposed, the petition said. The design allows for residents to park on the same level as their apartment.
“We think the quality of life in a wrap product is better for the residents of the community that live in that building, but we also think it’s better for the residents around that building and that, I think, is particularly true on a campus that is architecturally significant,” Segobiano said.
There will be 422 parking spaces, the majority of which will be in the garage and most to be used by residents. Eight surface level parking spots also will be available.
Planned amenities include an outdoor pool and patio area, gaming room, coworking lounge, pickleball court to be shared with the residents at Domain CityGate and a spa-like workout facility, which could include dry heat and cold plunge options, Segobiano said.
Willow Bridge is requesting a number of changes from the city, including approval of a conditional use for a multifamily building and a major change to the planned unit development as well as variances for parking, density, building height, building setback, a retaining wall and the pickleball court.
Their target demographics are people ages 25 to 35 and 50 to 64. The former group makes up about 16% of Naperville’s population whereas 21% are ages 55 to 64.
“The residential use will provide an additional housing opportunity to an underserved segment of Naperville’s population sometimes referred to as ‘renters by choice’ and folks looking for quality housing along the I-88 employment corridor,” the petition said.
Proposed rents run from $1,900 to $2,000 for a studio, $2,050 to $2,400 for a one-bedroom, and $3,000 to $4,400 for a two-bedroom. According to the petition, the majority of the units would be considered attainable housing for the city’s population.
Naperville’s average median income is about $150,360, the petition said. For the person whose average median income is $120,288, about 90% of the apartments at CityGate II would be considered attainable. For the person who makes $90,126, more than 60% of the apartments would meet that threshold.
cstein@chicagotribune.com
