Pulte to fund traffic study for Naperville subdivision

The developer behind a proposed 401-unit residential subdivision in Naperville is putting of $300,000 for a study it hopes will help alleviate concerns of neighboring residents about traffic related to the development.

Pulte Homes Co. plans to build 252 single-family homes, 149 townhouses, a park and two multiuse playing fields called the Naperville Polo Club on 110 acres of former polo grounds along 119th Street between Route 59 and Book Road, the Naperville Sun reported. With traffic already consistently becoming clogged at that intersection, residents were concerned that any additional housing would exacerbate the problem.

In response to the concerns, Pulte said it would fund a $300,000 traffic study, a move that would begin the legal process for Naperville to seek federal funding to widen the rural 119th Street from one lane.

Pulte said that, in the meantime, it plans to add a right-turn lane on the westbound side of 119th Street for northbound traffic and extend the left-turn lane for travelers going south. The city is also in the process of adding a center median on 119th Street that would make left turns into the Naperville Polo Club subdivision easier.

The new subdivision will connect to the South Pointe neighborhood via Hawkweed Drive, but Pulte has proposed adding an emergency gate between the neighborhoods to cut down on any cut-through traffic until 119th Street is widened. After the road is widened, however, Hawkweed Drive will serve as an alternate route for residents of the subdivisions, while not diverting too much traffic from the busy intersection.

The new subdivision would include about 28 acres of common open space, which, at 38 percent of the total acreage, is more than the 30 percent minimum required in the village of Naperville. The space will include a landscaped buffer area between the neighborhoods and stormwater management ponds.

In response to the village’s lack of affordable housing, Pulte has also proposed marketing at least 20 percent of the units to households making between $100,700 and $125,900.

— Victoria Pruitt