It has more than triple the number of units typically allowed under city code, but a luxury apartment building proposed for CityGate Centre at Route 59 and Interstate 88 has gained approval from planners in Naperville.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-1 Wednesday night to endorse designs for CityGate II. Commissioner Meghna Bansal voted against the variances required for the four-story building, citing its 297-unit density when code normally allows for a maximum of 83.
“Would this be possible to reduce the number of units and make it less dense to better align with the city’s development character?” Bansal asked.
But representatives for petitioner Willow Bridge Property Co. said building such a large community allows the developer to offer a long list of amenities, including a health club, yoga room, sauna, cold plunge tub, pool, pet spa, pickleball court, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging stations in the parking garage.
“It’s really a very highly amenitized community that we think will draw residents to the location,” project attorney Eric Prechtel said.
While well above the number of units typically allowed, the development falls within code requirements for a different density-related standard called floor-area ratio, Prechtel said, and will benefit existing restaurants and shops in CityGate by adding more foot traffic.
The building’s proposed location — on roughly 5 acres at Ferry Road and Comfort Drive east of Route 59 — isn’t near any residential streets or single-family homes. And Prechtel said the new apartments would be compatible with Willow Bridge’s apartment development immediately to the west, called Domain CityGate, which has been popular with renters since being completed in 2022.
“If anywhere is going to have a higher density, this is the spot for it,” Prechtel said.
Aside from Bansal’s density concerns, commissioners largely agreed with that assessment.
“I could not think of a better place for a multifamily development than this place,” Commissioner Shafeek Abubaker said.
CityGate II is to have 225 studio or one-bedroom units and 72 two-bedroom units, which is expect to generate about 26 students attending Indian Prairie District 204 schools. Rents are projected to be between $1,900 and $4,400 a month, making it possible for people with incomes between $68,000 and $160,000 a year to afford to live there, Prechtel said.
Aside from the density variance, the development also is requesting city council approval for a parking variance to build 369 resident parking spaces and 53 for guests when code requires 594 for residents and 75 for guests.
The developer submitted a parking study showing its planned number of spaces would be plenty and cited data from Domain CityGate, which also was approved and built with less parking than required by code.
Other zoning deviation requests include variances allowing a 51-foot building height, instead of 43 feet as required by code, and a pickleball court and screening fence to be located in the corner side yard setback along Westings Avenue.
Marie Wilson is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
