Unions backing Naperville project in spirit
A handful of rank-and-file members of area trade unions gathered Friday morning at the site of the proposed Freedom Plaza development in Naperville to voice support for the project.
The four union representatives who showed up — organizers had expected between 30 and 40 — argued the proposed project, located on a 9.2-acre site on Abriter Court just north of Diehl Road in Naperville, would bring as many as 650 new construction jobs to the city for 18 months.
“They put up buildings and create construction jobs building them and permanent jobs working inside of them. It’s the big jump-start this whole area needs,” said Michael Chierici, secretary and treasurer for Laborers’ International Union Local No. 288. ”It’s about survival. People call every day to tell us they’re losing their houses or their marriage is breaking up because after the money’s gone, the love goes too.”
The proposed project, which is expected to be presented to the city council Tuesday, would include a 165-room full-service Embassy Suites hotel with a 20,000-square-foot conference facility, a free-standing Pita Inn restaurant and the River Walk Manor Alzheimer’s assisted-living facility.
The developers’ economic impact study of the development found that Freedom Plaza would have an economic impact of $153.9 million on Naperville and a $180.6 million impact on DuPage County over the next five years.
But city staff members and Naperville’s planning and development committee both recommended against allowing the project because the property is zoned for research and technology offices, hotels and restaurants, not a senior living facility.
“All we hear about is how the government keeps saying the private development is going to bring the economy back and here we’ve got a private enterprise that wants to develop and build a building and government is standing in the way,” said Jerry Porter, of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 265. “You’ve got a weeded-over field here so there’s no reason not to allow it.”
Porter said the four union members who showed up Friday to support the project were not happy that an expected 30 to 40 members from other unions did not attend. But he promised they will pack the city council board room Tuesday night.
“This is embarrassing. We’re very embarrassed about this situation right now,” Porter said of the poor turnout. “You’ll get a better representation of how strongly we believe in this project on Tuesday.”
Council members remain split on whether the city should allow a zoning variance to allow the Alzheimer facility, just to fill vacant frontage on I-88.
“This is not the right location. The office and high-tech corridor is a bad spot for people to be living,” Councilman Grant Wehrli said. “I 100 percent support economic development but not at these price points. I won’t disrupt decades of very successful land planning along I-88. I will not turn my back on that.”
Councilman Doug Krause has been the council’s lone vocal supporter of the project.
“That land has been vacant since God made it and our plan for office development in that corridor is 25 years old. Times have changed. No one is building office buildings any more,” Krause said. “This plan is all about jobs and more jobs. We need jobs, and this is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for.”