D.R. Horton Pitches Townhomes in Suburban Chicago Push

A puzzling redevelopment site in one of Chicago’s western suburbs is back in play, and this time the pitch is far simpler.

D.R. Horton floated a plan to turn the former Northern Baptist Theological Seminary campus in Lombard near Yorktown Center into a 159-unit townhouse community, putting a strictly residential concept on a property that has defied more ambitious visions for nearly a decade, the Daily Herald reported.

The seminary decamped for Lisle in 2017, leaving behind a 27-acre parcel east of the mall. Initial redevelopment concepts — anchored by a golf driving range, a Moretti’s restaurant and an apartment component — never advanced beyond planning.

Now D.R. Horton, which built the Summit at Yorktown townhomes along the mall’s ring road, is looking to send its trajectory west.

Early reactions from Lombard’s plan commission suggest the more modest proposal may finally fit the site’s realities.

The parcel is oddly shaped, constrained by wetlands and a large detention pond along its southern edge. Most of the buildable land is tucked away from major thoroughfares like Butterfield Road and 22nd Street, limiting commercial potential. Several commissioners said a residential focus makes sense given those limitations and the momentum of nearby multifamily development.

The previous master plan would have added convenience retail, a gas station and up to 400 apartments. None materialized. Campus structures have since been demolished, and the village has acquired a sliver of the land for a new water tower, now moving into construction. Everything else remains untouched.

D.R. Horton’s concept is still early and would require rezoning and an amendment to Lombard’s comprehensive plan. Village staff and the plan commission have given informal feedback, but no application has been submitted. If the deal moves ahead, the builder would be required to provide preliminary engineering and architectural plans.

The project is an extension of a broader strategy by Horton to deepen its presence in Chicago’s western suburbs. Cole Tyrell, the company’s regional vice president, said in a statement that the company has been aware of the site for a couple years now, and while the plan is intended as for-sale housing, D.R. Horton wants to maintain flexibility as the entitlement process unfolds and market conditions shift.

The Texas-based builder, the largest in the country, hopes to secure approvals and start construction in late 2026 and begin sales in 2027.

— Eric Weilbacher