Despite objecting to a similar project on the same site eight years ago, the Naperville City Council won’t be formal opposing a development proposed for unincorporated 75th Street near Wehrli Road.
The multiuse development calls for a self-storage facility, day care center and coffee shop to be built just outside Naperville’s jurisdictional boundaries, putting it under the purview of DuPage County.
Per state law, a municipality is allowed to offer its opinion on a project if it’s proposed for unincorporated land falling within 1.5 miles of its city limits.
Naperville council members at their meeting last week decided they would not offer an opinion on the 75th Street development. If they were opposed to it, the DuPage County Board would have to approve it with a supermajority vote requiring three-fourths of its members be in favor for it to be approved.
The project calls for a 1.79-acre parcel to be used for a Little Sunshine’s Daycare, a Scooter’s Coffee and a CubeSmart self-storage facility. The daycare facility would require 13,600 square feet and Scooter’s 675 feet. The self-storage facility would take up 40,580 square feet.
Burr Ridge-based developer Xsite Real Estate is heading the project.
The subject property currently consists of three residential lots located next to a Walgreens on the southwest corner of Wehrli and 75th.
Xsite’s project is reminiscent of a previous development proposed for the same site in 2016.
In that case, a 100,000-square-foot Extra Space Storage building was to be built. The Naperville council formally objected, and it was rejected by the county board with a 15-2 vote.
Council members at the time did not want to see a self-storage facility built on land that they thought better suited for residential, office or commercial development.
City staff raised similar concerns about Xsite’s development, citing a disconnect between project plans and the city’s Land Use Master Plan, which guides future development within the planning boundaries of Naperville for incorporated and unincorporated properties.
In its land use plan, the intersection at 75th and Wehrli is designated a “City Corridor,” meaning the primary recommended uses include commercial retail, services and professional offices. Self-storage does not fall under any of these uses. Despite the proposed coffee shop and day care center meeting corridor zoning, staff recommended the council object.
Council members, however, said they couldn’t find enough reasons to formally oppose it.
“I worry about unincorporated areas. We’re dealing with the situation on Ogden where gaming is coming in,” said Councilman Josh McBroom said, referring to the video gambling parlor slated to open at 101 E. Ogden Ave. later this year. “So I’d rather have something like this.”
Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan-Taylor echoed McBroom, saying she didn’t “have a problem with self-storage here.” Councilmen Patrick Kelly and Benny White expressed some hesitation but were ultimately supportive of Naperville having no comment on the matter.
Members also were encouraged by community engagement that Xsite says has been ongoing with residents neighboring the proposed site. By securing local input, the developer is hoping to “craft an optimal proposal that (works) for all parties,” Xsite President Brett Paul said. Conversations so far, he noted, have been “very productive.”
Xsite has made “substantial changes” to its redevelopment plans based on resident feedback and is continuing to “discuss ways to make the project agreeable for residents on the north side of 75th Street and other neighboring communities,” Paul said.
If the plans win county approval, Xsite hopes to break ground next spring and have the businesses operational by the end of 2025, Paul said.
“We appreciate the (Naperville) City Council’s willingness to do their due diligence, look at the specifics of our project and consider our efforts to incorporate the community’s feedback into our design,” he said. “(Xsite is) committed to being a good neighbor and corporate citizen to Naperville and the broader DuPage County community.”
