Naperville wary of commercial development along Plank Road

Naperville city councilmen want more details about what commercial development could look like near Plank Road before giving their approval.

Councilmen this week approved most of the Plank Road land use study for the area near the city's northeast side but left out the piece that planners designated as having potential for commercial development.

"It's sort of nebulous," Councilman Grant Wehrli said. "We sort of know what it might look like but it could be a platypus or it could be a duck."

City planners are calling for residential uses for most of the 136 acres in the study area that includes unincorporated properties near Plank Road from Columbia heading northeast to the area just east of Naper Boulevard. The majority of the area is either houses or vacant.

For the area west of Naper Boulevard and north of Plank Road, planners recommend a mix of residential, office and limited commercial uses due to its proximity to the Ogden Avenue commercial corridor.

Neighbors and city councilmen alike have expressed concerns about the impact of commercial development.

"There are existing transportation issues and challenges that commercial, office or medium- to high-density residential development will only exacerbate including heavy traffic at rush hours, limited or no access at Naper Boulevard, and the dangerous intersection of Plank and Tuthill roads," resident Kevin Madden said.

Some residents also have questioned the intentions of developer ROC Inc, which has been purchasing land in the area.

Mike Siurek, president of ROC, attended Tuesday's city council meeting and said he has no agenda, just ideas.

"All I'm asking is let's not inhibit my creativity," he said. "This is a gateway to your community."

Councilmen decided to send the designation of "residential, office, limited commercial" to the city's plan commission for more discussion and definition. The issue will then return to the council.

They voted 8-1 to approve the plan without the controversial study area and the planning area immediately south of it. Councilman Richard Furstenau was the lone "no" vote.