Naperville prefers traffic flow over green space at Central Park
Naperville's Central Park may not get much extra green space after all.
The city council Tuesday approved a plan for improvements to the 3.8-acre downtown park that keeps Court Place a two-way road, choosing better traffic flow over additional open space.
The plan also includes flexible concert seating and, eventually, permanent restrooms.
The park is home to the Naperville Municipal Band and has undergone several improvements in recent years, including walkways with better handicapped accessibility, new playground equipment and landscaping. The city has been creating a master plan for the improvements.
One of the main points of debate among councilmen was which option to choose for parking and traffic circulation in the park.
Councilmen voted 7-2 in favor of a plan that keeps the existing pattern of one-way traffic south on Central Park Road and two-way traffic on Court Place. This option provides 94 parking spaces - six of which would be handicapped accessible - down from the current total of 104. It adds little open space.
In approving this option, councilmen rejected staff's recommendation to make Court Place one-way, providing just as much parking and more open space.
But councilmen feared doing so would snarl traffic.
"If that were the case people are going to come down Benton and want to take a left onto Central Park Road ... and that will just back up traffic for people that want to get through the intersection of Benton and Washington," Councilman Paul Hinterlong said.
Councilmen Grant Wehrli and Robert Fieseler were the two lone "no" votes and called for more green space and fewer parking spots, saying the city already provides enough parking in nearby facilities.
"This is like a once-in-a-generation endeavor that we're conducting right now," Fieseler said. "If you ask me, our kids will be disappointed if we said we let 33 parking spaces take up the space that could otherwise have been devoted to this park."
Resident Don Wehrli and 84 petition-signers also have been pushing for more green space. They and several councilmen also want the park to have permanent restrooms.
The plan the council approved calls for portable restrooms for now. Once those run their course, permanent restrooms would be installed as part of a facility that also would include concessions and maintenance accommodations. This facility is projected to cost as much as $350,000 and is on the list of improvements five to 10 years down the road.
The Central Park plan also calls for the Community Concert Center to have a concrete terrace similar to the Riverwalk amphitheater. There will be space for movable seats for added flexibility as well, providing a total of 300 to 600 seats. An improved sound system and handicapped accessibility also are part of the plan.
Original cost estimates for the plan based on staff recommendations were just less than $4 million. Planners expect that figure to be slightly less if Court Place stays a two-way street. The city has secured nearly $500,000 in grants to help fund the improvements.
The plan now moves to the park board for consideration.