Naperville seeks feedback on Riverwalk gathering space

The Naperville Riverwalk Grand Pavilion and the surrounding area could look truer to that name — grand — based on conceptual ideas for potential improvements.

Looking ahead to a momentous 2031 — both the 50th anniversary of the Riverwalk and the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding — the Naperville Riverwalk Commission developed a master plan, presenting it as a “look into the future” of the “treasured urban oasis.”

The Riverwalk Grand Pavilion was originally built in the late 1980s. The covered shelter stands between Sindt Woods, toward the west end of the Riverwalk, and the Naperville Jaycees Playground.

Now, the city and park district are encouraging Riverwalk patrons to provide feedback via an online questionnaire on how they use the gathering space and its future. The questionnaire takes a couple of minutes to fill out and closes on Oct. 9.

“Many people have fond memories at the Grand Pavilion, including weddings, reunions, corporate team building events, and much more,” Riverwalk Commission Chair Jan Erickson said in a statement. “While construction wouldn’t begin for several years, knowing what areas to focus on will help guide this project. We understand that the space has limited parking and there are drainage issues. Our goal is to have a more useful and vibrant pavilion.”

The community’s feedback will help prioritize potential improvements already outlined in the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan, “such as incorporating green infrastructure, a new podium, and an expanded plaza surface,” Naperville City Engineer Andy Hynes wrote in a memo to City Manager Doug Krieger.

“The questionnaire results will be used to inform the project design, with implementation tentatively scheduled for 2030. An improved Grand Pavilion can attract more visitors and help strengthen the downtown area,” Hynes wrote.

The Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan document contained ideas, not exact plans for the project, according to city spokesperson Kelley Munch. The survey results will play an important role in determining the actual project scope, Munch added via email.

Those ideas included, among other things, a new podium to provide a “permanent, but flexible setting for ceremonial events, awards and entertainment.” The plan also envisioned a new grill station as well as a stone fireplace to increase the “ambiance of cool-season events.”

“Incorporating green infrastructure and modular paving, the parking and expanded plaza surfaces can be flexibly programmed to accommodate a multitude of event requirements — from staging to pop-up vendor tents — all while reducing adjacent soil compaction, managing storm water runoff, and increasing runoff water quality,” the plan stated.

The plan has also been called a “living document.” The project cost will be refined after the Riverwalk Commission evaluates the survey results and defines the scope, according to Munch.

The Naperville Park District manages the rental schedule for the facility. Between April and October, it held roughly 90 scheduled events in each of the past two years, Hynes noted.

The questionnaire can be completed at polco.us/scnn7p.