New lot for Naperville Rt. 59 Metra station

Naperville-area commuters will soon have an additional parking option at the Route 59 Metra station.

City councilmen Tuesday approved a plan that would allow a developer to turn its land into a 167-space parking lot in which commuters could purchase their spaces.

The land near the Route 59 Metra station on the Naperville/Aurora border was originally going to be an office or retail building but developer Railway Plaza 8, LLC decided a parking lot may fare better in today's economy.

Both Naperville and Aurora have parking lots at the Route 59 Metra station but each city has hundreds of commuters on the waiting list for a permit. The wait for a permit in Naperville's lot averages just over two years while Aurora commuters wait at least five years.

The developer previously offered to sell or lease its land to Naperville but negotiations were unsuccessful so it decided to move forward with creating its own parking lot.

Under Railway Plaza's business plan, parking spaces will cost $8,900 each pre-construction and go up to $9,600 once half of the spots are sold.

The lot would have mechanical gates controlled by key cards and owners would be part of an association that would be responsible for issues such as enforcement and snow removal.

Councilman Paul Hinterlong questioned whether the city will be losing money by allowing a parking lot instead of retail uses.

"I'm sure the city has preference for retail or office use on this property, and we do, too," said Len Monson, attorney for the developer. "However - this site is locationally challenged."

He said commuters who purchase parking spaces will pay property taxes on them.

Councilman Richard Furstenau initially expressed some concern about the cost of spaces in the new lot not being affordable for all residents, but Councilman Grant Wehrli and others did not share that sentiment.

"If I'm up early catching the train every day for my job and I want to buy a parking spot, welcome to America," Wehrli said.

Councilmen approved the proposal 8-0. Mayor George Pradel was absent.

Railway Plaza 8 hopes to finish the lot by June 30.

New: Developer hoping to finish parking lot by June 30