Long-vacant land near Fox Valley Mall on Aurora’s far east side could soon become home to 185 townhomes after 18 months of negotiation between the city and developer M/I Homes. The Aurora City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal, known as Kingsley Row, on Tuesday, August 25. The deal folds in sustainability requirements, road construction paid for by the builder, and financial assistance for prospective buyers.
The project, called Kingsley Row, would place 185 townhomes across 38 buildings on 28 acres near the intersection of Ogden Avenue and 75th Street, according to the Aurora Beacon-News. City planning filings describe the units as three-story, rear-loaded townhomes averaging roughly 2,200 square feet, each with a two-car garage and driveway, plus 37 shared visitor parking spaces, according to City of Aurora planning documents. The Beacon-News reports the homes will include two- and three-story townhouses with two or three bedrooms, with planned sale prices in the mid- to upper-$500,000s.
A Site That’s Waited Decades for Development
The parcel has a long and stalled history. It was annexed by Aurora in 1998, according to the Beacon-News, and was originally intended for an auto and commercial purpose before city records show it was proposed for an assisted living facility in 2019 — a project that ultimately fell through. Before that, the land was slated for Melody Town Center, a mixed-use development that was never built; M/I Homes’ rezoning request formally replaces that unbuilt plan, according to city planning filings. Aurora had approved a redevelopment agreement for the site back in 2019 using Tax Increment Financing, but Indian Prairie School District 204 publicly objected over how TIF tax allocation might affect classroom overcrowding, according to city records.
That funding fight appears resolved through the current deal: rather than relying on TIF, M/I Homes has agreed to fully fund construction of the Commons Drive extension and related intersection improvements. City engineer Russ Whitaker said the city had previously planned to spend millions of dollars on the Commons Drive extension and other infrastructure work itself, per the Beacon-News. Under the new arrangement, M/I Homes will extend Commons Drive from Ogden Avenue to 75th Street as a three-lane right-of-way that widens into dedicated turn lanes at both intersections, according to city engineering specifications. The Commons Drive connection will include sidewalks, and the project also includes intersection improvements to Route 34 and 75th Street. The Ogden Avenue intersection will get dedicated left- and right-turn lanes, while the 75th Street intersection will include dual left-turn lanes. In a separate trade-off, M/I Homes will pay the city a fee instead of building sidewalks along Ogden Avenue and 75th Street.
Mayor Pushed for Sound Wall, Energy Standards
Aurora Mayor John Laesch, who took office in May 2025 after defeating two-term incumbent Richard Irvin, wanted the project to include a sound wall, according to the Beacon-News. Laesch established the city’s first Department of Sustainability and Director position after campaigning on environmental sustainability and progressive municipal governance, according to the City of Aurora. That priority shaped the negotiations, which included new sustainability requirements and increased green space beyond what earlier commercial proposals for the site had contemplated…