Water Street transformation could begin soon in Naperville
Work on a large-scale development that could transform the look of downtown Naperville may begin next month.
Developers of the Water Street District received city council approval Wednesday for the latest update to their plans to build a hotel, banquet facility, restaurants, shops, Riverwalk improvements and parking south of the DuPage River and east of the Naperville municipal center.
"It's great to be further down the road and closer to getting started," said Water Street developer Jeff Prosapio, director of property management for The Marquette Companies.
Prosapio said his firm aims to begin construction in December, but one major financial step remains to be cleared in order for the project, which has morphed several times since 2007 and has been delayed nearly a year, officially can begin.
Marquette and the city still have to work out the development's "major business terms," which will require an update to a 2013 agreement that specified who will pay how much for public improvements coming with the district, such as a 520-space parking garage and new upper- and lower-level Riverwalk segments.
The fact the financial details haven't been worked out was part of the reason council member Doug Krause said he voted against the Water Street plans. He and council member Grant Wehrli were the dissenters in a 7-2 vote that blessed nine changes made to plans for the 2.4-acre area since it last received approval.
"We've gone from way too big to too big," Wehrli said about the project, which calls for a total of 217,962 square feet of new construction spread among four buildings. "This has not been improved since 2007, I think it's moved in the wrong direction on a lot of different levels."
The change that received the most discussion at previous meetings added an 8,700-square-foot banquet facility that could host events for up to 250 people instead of a two-story restaurant.
The swap sparked concerns about parking, but Prosapio said Marquette has a contingency plan to use off-site valet spots during peak demand periods. And council member Steve Chirico said he thinks a banquet hall actually will cause less parking strain than a large restaurant because the space won't always be in use.
Other changes approved Wednesday mean the development gained permission to have:
• A larger riverfront building that shrinks a public plaza to roughly 8,300 square feet from 8,670 square feet;
• More restaurant space for a total of 28,200 square feet instead of 22,353 square feet;
• Taller screening walls to hide mechanical equipment on top of three buildings;
• A thinner pedestrian bridge to connect the main Hotel Indigo on the south side of Water Street with other hotel suites and the banquet space on the north;
• A service business called Traveling Tots on the ground floor, although zoning code generally reserves downtown first-floor storefronts for retail;
• An upper-level Riverwalk and a boardwalk across the Naperville Township property on the west side of the development;
• A temporary parking lot at 141 Aurora Ave. until June 30, 2016;
• And the ability to locate electric transformers within landscaped areas on public right of way on Water and Webster streets