Naperville eyes downtown tweaks

Summer's over and Naperville City Council appears ready to get down to business in its quest to reshape parts of downtown.

Council members this week agreed to schedule two workshops to discuss issues related to parking deck financing and the proposed Water Street redevelopment proposal. That's on top of a budget workshop already slated for Oct. 30.

The call for additional discussions came after the council spent nearly an hour on each topic Tuesday without reaching any resolution.

The council will gather at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 to examine parking deck financing issues after Downtown Naperville Alliance leaders said they still haven't chosen a preferred funding formula.

The city is considering building as many as three downtown parking garages but is still debating how to pay for them and what order to build them in. Officials are looking for some specific direction from downtown business leaders.

"This workshop will force DNA to engage," Councilman James Boyajian said. "Time is of the essence."

The council also decided to hold a second workshop on the proposed Water Street development -- which could include a parking deck.

A decision wasn't reached on the date of the Water Street workshop, although it likely will be held Oct. 23 or Oct. 29, city officials said.

Councilmen want more time to discuss parking deck financing options in an effort to determine which formula to use.

They spent much of the year lobbying successfully in Springfield to be able to create a food and beverage overlay taxing district downtown to generate revenue for the new decks.

But that was when the proposal was to build $45 million worth of parking garages. Now, the city is working on public/private parking deck proposals that could push the timelines for the city decks back several years.

The council also wants input from downtown business owners regarding possibly changing from a property tax funding mechanism to a formula where property owners would pay a fee based on use. The impact fee would be higher for businesses that generate more cars, like restaurants and bars.

As for the Water Street development just east of city hall, the council has concerns about the height of proposed buildings, intensity of use and accessibility to the Riverwalk. The proposal could add five-story office and residential units along a retail/restaurant corridor.

The development would essentially expand downtown south of the river by adding more shops and restaurants and connect downtown to Naper Settlement. Cheesecake Factory is rumored to be the anchor tenant of the new development.

Some representatives from the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation have spoken out against the height of the proposal and the perceived "commercialization" of the Riverwalk.