CURRENT STATUS:
The Polo Grounds initiative needed 6 votes for annexation however Against all odds & Thanks to Council Members Patricia A. Gustin, Theresa Sullivan, Patrick Kelly, and John Krummen the plan was stopped.
These solid city council Members represented the Naperville residents multiple safety and overcrowding concerns shooting down the Mayor's annexation / Dr Horton plan.
Siding with big business and In favor of a reckless and costly annexation to the Naperville tax payers were
Benny White
Paul Hinterlong
Kevin Coyne
Judith Broadhead
Mayor Chirico
DR HORTON TO PRESENT TO CITY COUNCIL ON Tues. Feb. 18, 2020
CITIZENS TO ATTEND MEETING TO CONTINUE TO REMIND COUNCIL THAT THE PLAN IS WRONG FOR SOUTH NAPERVILLE / PLAINFIELD.
Residents are encouraged to attend yet another city meeting to continue reminding our elected officials that the DR Horton continues to be a bad idea for the area.
- Density of the proposed DR Horton development (4.55 households per acre) is still double that of nearby neighborhoods.
- 119th Traffic still dangerously gridlocked at peak times. 119th and Rt. 59 is a regional issue that needs resolved before any new development occurs.
- Cut-through traffic and safety still of utmost concern, as 119th remains unresolved, any new residents would use South Pointe and High Meadow internal streets for cut-through via Hawkweed connection.
- Why now? The plan has been turned away multiple times since July, 2018. Why are our elected officials continuing to keep it alive? Are residents being told the whole story?
New to the Area or New to the fight?
Through video, see the beauty of South Naperville / North Plainfield and the density and zoning already in place.
"Potential Conflict For Naperville Mayor's Family Business?"
CBS Chicago Exposes a tie to a development project. Are there more?
"On the record, more than once, Naperville's mayor has said he has no personal vested interest in any development projects in the city.However, CBS 2 has now learned, Steve Chirico's flooring business has submitted a bid for work on a once controversial condo project. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports"
Victory at Feb. 6 PZC MEETING!
A tie vote of 4-4 from the PZC meeting means it goes to City Council as a “Non-Recommendation”!
DR Horton presented their Polo Club proposal in front of the
Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) on Feb. 6. PlanForUs citizens had a great turnout and 20+ speakers.
Our first speaker of the night asked the audience members against this proposal to stand up. It made an overwhelming impression to see red shirt after red shirt standing.
This is a big victory for us! We have more work cut out for us at City Council, so stay tuned for details on how the group will continue to fight unsafe and dangerous development in the South Naperville area.
PZC members who Voted FOR the DR HORTON PROPOSAL:
- Bianca Morin
- Anthony Losourdo
- Bruce Hansen
- Brett Fessler
PZC members who Voted AGAINST the DR HORTON PROPOSAL:
- Kamala Martinez
- Andrew Margulies
- Manas Athanikar
- Bill Habel
Thank You!
One of the core issues: 119th street cannot handle the existing traffic.
review our own visual traffic study to see just how dangerous the area already is.
In The News: NCTV, 2/9/19
"Split Vote on Revised Polo Club Subdivision"
- "With a 4-4 vote from the Planning and Zoning Commission, the latest Polo Club development proposal gets no recommendation from the group."
In The News: Daily Herald, 2/8/19
"Plan for 500 homes in south Naperville still raising traffic concerns ."
Image Credit/Caption:
"The latest plans for a subdivision in south Naperville called Polo Club call for 500 houses and townhouses, some of them targeted toward seniors. But planning and zoning commissioners are still split on whether the plan is a good one. Daily Herald file photo June 2018"
Next Meeting Now Set for Feb. 6:
PlanFORUS Citizens are asked to stay vigilant and continue to demand safe and Proper development in South Naperville.
Meeting is set, but the only change is slightly lower density -- density that is still double surrounding neighborhood areas. Traffic, infrastructure, and safety are still major concerns, and remain unresolved.
The following message was posted on the City Of Naperville Website at https://www.naperville.il.us/government/board-and-commissions/planning-and-zoning-commission:
Important Dates:
Critical / Mandatory:
- [FEB. 6 MEETING]: Next City Council Meeting when the development will be discussed.
- WEAR RED TO THE MEETING.
- Email the mayor with your concerns.
- Email the city council with your concerns.
BREAKING NEWS: Polo CLUB Portion of NOV. 7 MEETING REMOVED.
DR HORTON REQUESTS MEETING MOVE FOR 5TH TIME.
To our thousands of concerned citizens actively engaged, please continue to monitor this and other sources for the re-scheduled date.
Important Dates:
Critical / Mandatory:
- [NOV. 7 MEETING CANCELLED]: Next City Council Meeting when the development will be discussed.
- WEAR RED TO THE MEETING.
Oct. 15, 2018
NOT AN IMPROVEMENT.
Not comparable with surrounding areas.
D.R. Horton unveiled their revised proposal, which falls short on all levels.
- The 15% reduction is really only 9% reduction when looking at the entire development
- No reduction in apartments
- No additional improvements to 119th except the turn lane from version
- The HOA park that was added was previously empty space next to the large detention pond. It also appears to be in a flood zone.
- Still no basements
- Still less than 1/3 even age-targeted
Continue the dialog on Facebook on the #planforus Group Page.
Next Meeting Now Set for Nov. 7:
PlanFORUS Citizens are asked to stay vigilant regarding the scheduling of the next City Council Meeting when the Case will be discussed.
The following message was posted on the City Of Naperville Website at http://www.naperville.il.us/government/board-and-commissions/city-council-meetings-and-workshops/:
The Polo Club public hearing that was previously announced for September 4 is being cancelled and the case is being continued to the November 7 City Council meeting. Please continue to check City Council meeting agendas for more information.
To our thousands of concerned citizens actively engaged, please continue to monitor this and other sources for the re-scheduled date.
Important Dates:
Critical / Mandatory:
- [NOV. 7, at 7PM, City Municipal Center]: Next City Council Meeting when the development will be discussed.
- WEAR RED TO THE MEETING.
- [DONE: PZC Issues NON RECOMMENDATION!]Wednesday, July 18:
City of Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting.
7:00pm, Council Chambers, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL
Optional / Informational:
- Thursday, July 12: Open House from the developer. (DONE. Watch Recap on NCTV.com here)
6:00-8:00pm, 95th St. Public Library
SEPT. 23, 2018
Breaking News: Will County Forest Preserve President and Community Champion Suzanne Hart shares Critical Drainage Review letter to City of Naperville.
Suzanne Hart has been working endlessly to achieve cooperation between Will County and the #PlanForUs Concerned Residents group.
Suzanne is truly representing concerned citizens and we are thankful for her and the Forest Preserve's charge to demand responsible development.
See below for the full text of the letter:
September 10, 2018
Ms. Patricia Lord
Senior Assistant City Attorney
City of Naperville
400 S. Eagle Street
Naperville, Illinois 60540
Re: Naperville Polo Club Drainage Review
Dear Ms. Lord, Following a conversation between you and our attorney, Brian Kopman, the Forest Preserve District of Will County requests additional engineering documents for the proposed Naperville Polo Club subdivision in order to determine potential impacts to Forest Preserve property that lies immediately east and north of the subject property. This request was originally made by Forest Preserve staff July 9, 2018, at a meeting with the City and the developer.
In our review of the preliminary engineering documents that have been provided, it appears the developer is proposing to construct the main stormwater basin within the 100 year flood plain of the DuPage River, as well as, to alter the current overland drainage patterns and direct all stormwater flow directly onto and across Forest Preserve property. The proposed development site currently has two points of outfall for overland stormflow, one at the northeast corner of the site flowing through a 24” culvert beneath Book Road, the other at a 24” culvert at the southeast corner of the site at the intersection of Book Road and 119th Street. Altering the historical flow of stormwater and directing it all to the northeast may have significant impacts on both Book Road and the Forest Preserve property. In addition, removing a portion of the natural floodplain with the construction of the detention facility may have negative effects on the Forest Preserve property by altering the current flood dynamics of the river. Any potential changes could have serious effects on the Forest Preserve as well as the development and management of the proposed extension of the DuPage River Trail within the existing Book Road right-of-way.
The Forest Preserve specifically requests the City and the developer provide a full hydraulic report for the development, details of the inlet/outlet pipe for the proposed stormwater detention basin adjacent to the preserve and any details for proposals to alter the existing culverts on Book Road. In addition, since concentrating the outfall of the proposed basin may have serious effects on the Forest Preserve resulting from erosion and loss of natural resources, we would also need to review any proposed details from the City and developer on mitigating measures to protect the Forest Preserve property and the future extension of the DuPage River Trail. Without this additional information, the Forest Preserve cannot adequately review the short and long term impacts to Riverview Farmstead Preserve.
Sincerely,
Ralph Schultz
Chief Operating Officer
cc: Bryan Kopman, Kavanagh, Grumley & Gorbold
The Current Emergency:
- Serious Proposal: A national homebuilder company has prepared a proposal for the area of land at the northeast corner of 119th and Rt. 59, an area now referred to as the Polo Grounds and a popular sports/recreation area. They have presented this proposal to the City of Naperville.
- Super-high Density: The proposal would add 720+ households in a small ultra-dense 65-acre area (published as "100 acres," but much less since a large area is simply a retention pond, not family friendly or green space areas), mostly in the form of apartments and townhomes, with only some single-family homes. This would add thousands of new residents, cars, and students to the area and change the South Naperville area to become too densely populated based upon current or even proposed infrastructure.
- Compared to all other surrounding neighborhoods, the area density for the proposed developement is drastically higher.
- Dangerous Cut-through Traffic: Aside from an increase in residents and car traffic that the area is not ready for, along with the proposal, the national homebuilder company is offering to pay for roads to be connected to the South Pointe Neighborhood (on to Hawkweed Dr. and Spartina Dr.) and High Meadow Neighborhood (a small partial Book Rd. extension on to Wild Timothy Rd.), creating extremely dangerous high-volume cut-through traffic through these single-family-home well-established, existing neighborhoods. With the already crushing congestion on Rt. 59, cutting through these neighborhoods will become a popular option to avoid Rt. 59 by the new residents.
- No Warning: Stakeholders such as the school district, the highway commission, surrounding HOAs, Forest Preserve, etc. have had virtually no warning of the proposed plan.
- Too Many Concerns: As all options are considered, along with the surprise-nature of this proposal, this is not good for the South Naperville area and there are dozens of concerns to be discussed at length.
- Plan for Us, instead of them: At this time we urge the City of Naperville to "Plan for Us" rather than the national homebuilder and say no to the proposal.
Make your voice heard!
Residents have created a petition on Change.org. We urge all residents to read the information and then sign the petition so that we can let the Naperville City Council know that South Naperville residents will not accept this proposal.
BREAKING NEWS from July 18 City Planning Meeting: Naperville ZoniNG COMISSION ISSUES a "NON RECOMMENDATION" to CITY COUNCIL.
Thank you FOR YOUR SUPPORT BUT THE FIGHT ISN'T OVER.
Concerned residents delivered eloquently resulting in a split vote of 3-3, meaning that the Planning and Zoning Commission will issue a "Non-Recommendation" to the City Council. Zoning commissioners voting against the development cited MAJOR ISSUES with DENSITY as well as no clear school system plan.
In The News: Chicago Tribune, 7/19/18
"Proposed 702-unit Polo Club goes to City Council without full commission support"
Read more at ChicagoTribune.com
Image Credit/Caption: Danielle Dash, land acquisition manager for D.R. Horton, presented plans for the Polo Club, a 702-unit residential subdivision proposed for a site near Route 59 and 119th Street. (Erin Hegarty / Naperville Sun)
In The News: Daily Herald, 7/16/18
"Road requirement complicates request for Naperville subdivision"
So when officials received D.R. Horton's proposal to turn a site now used as soccer fields and a horse barn into Polo Club, Novack said they saw an opportunity to kick-start the south part of the Book Road connection.
"If you want to annex this property into Naperville," Novack said the city told the developer, "we're telling you as part of your project you've got to build it at least to Wild Timothy."
Novack estimates that stretch of Book Road would cost up to $2 million. But he doubts the cost is driving D.R. Horton's designs.
"They probably would have wanted to build with this density no matter what we asked for," he said. "They build homes. That's their business."
Image Credit/Caption:
"Fred Harms, Jeff Maxick and Beth Quint live in different subdivisions near the site of a proposed development called Polo Club in south Naperville and they all are voicing concerns about the traffic and safety concerns the construction of more than 700 new houses, townhouses and apartments could cause.. (Marie Wilson | Staff Photographer)"
In The News: NCTV, 7/13/18
"Polo Club Developer Hosts Open House."
- Revised plans show minimal reduction from 723 to 702 households.
In The News: Chicago Tribune, 6/22/18
"723-unit Polo Club subdivision proposed for Naperville faces opposition on density, variances."
Read more at ChicagoTribune.com
Image Credit/Caption:
"D.R. Horton wants to build 309 apartment units housed in 15 three-story buildings as part of its Polo Club development on 110 acres annexed into Naperville. (D.R. Horton / HANDOUT)"
In The News: Daily Herald, 6/22/18
"Concerns mean more discussion coming about Naperville subdivision plan."
In The News: NCTV, 6/23/18
"Proposed Polo Club Subdivision Draws Criticism"
