A 58-acre parcel of land in Naperville may soon become the new location of a large-scale, secluded neighborhood. According to the Daily Herald, Naperville City Council members are considering the rezoning of a plot of land north of the Nokia site near Naperville and Warrenville roads to allow for a neighborhood of 300 to 500 homes, townhomes, duplexes, and/or apartments. At a city council meeting, officials showed interest in the proposed residential development, but there’s still a lot to consider.

The land has long been vacant and currently just includes a crumbling parking lot. It sits away from the major roads and is bordered on three sides by the Danada Forest Preserve.

Over the years the property has been considered for numerous projects, including an addition to the forest preserve as well as a summer concert venue owned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, the forest preserve could not meet the asking price of the property, and in 2014 the Symphony plans fell through. Currently, the property is zoned to be office, research, or light industrial and has been since at least the 1960s, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

Photo courtesy of Downtown Naperville

Developer K. Hovnanian Homes is seeking to purchase the property, which is currently owned by Nokia and is a part of the larger 175-acre Nokia campus. The parcel that isn’t in use was previously set aside for future growth of the Nokia campus, and officials don’t see the potential in using the property as its currently zoned. The property is located close to Interstate 88 as well as Downtown Naperville and shopping along Butterfield Road in Wheaton. 

Some area residents voiced concerns over the impact of traffic in the community as well as the impact on the nature preserve. Jean Arndt, president of the Danada Woods Homeowners Association, said they need more details about the overall impact before giving the developer the go-ahead. The development team does have plans to do an ecological impact study to ensure the forest preserve won’t be negatively impacted. 

In past efforts to build on the property, the safety of a rookery of about 152 nests of great blue heron was of major concern. The Daily Herald wrote a separate article about the marshland birds that officials report have naturally moved from the forest preserve.

While planning is still in the very early stages, Russ Whitaker, an attorney for K. Hovnanian Homes, told the Tribune that having a residential community basically within a forest preserve could be a huge benefit for potential homeowners. The development team also believes there’s an opportunity for new trail connections throughout the preserve and within access of the proposed development. 

Right now, it’s just a concept for a neighborhood. Whitaker told the publication that if the community shows interest in the development, then they will come back with a detailed plan of a subdivision that works within the preserve and with the community’s vision for the property.