Less brick, more concrete; fewer trees, more potted shrubs in downtown Naperville plan
Brick is pretty, but concrete is safer when it comes to sidewalks, say members of a Naperville panel who are reviewing a new look for downtown streetscapes.
Consultant P2C Designs LLC of Naperville is completing an analysis of downtown sidewalks to determine which should be replaced first and how much it will cost to gradually redo them all. The roughly $75,000 study follows a recommendation in the city's Downtown2030 plan that says the area is "in need of enhancements."
Christine Jeffries, president and CEO of the Naperville Development Partnership, said several sidewalks are beginning to crumble; metal grates around trees are becoming raised and uneven; angled parking spots lead to narrow pedestrian areas and poor driver visibility; and bumpy brick sections aren't the easiest to navigate.
A draft of P2C's streetscape recommendations suggests a sidewalk option with 8-foot-wide concrete surfaces accented with a red brick border and a triangular brick section at each intersection.
"The cement surface is safer and easier to maneuver, and it's also less cost and less maintenance," Jeffries said. "It all works very, very well for a very vibrant retail downtown such as Naperville."
Members of the downtown advisory commission recently approved the more concrete, less brick option.
"We've received input and feedback that for ladies in heels and wheelchairs and strollers, the brick at times can be harder to traverse," said Steve Rubin, the commission's chairman.
The metal grates that cover tree plantings also can cause walking hazards. Ashley Hagen, a project manager in the transportation, engineering and development department, said downtown trees struggle to survive because their roots are constricted and they're overloaded with snow and road salt in the winter.
"We're constantly replacing them and taking them down," she said, "which has a cost in itself."
Plus, Jeffries said, trees are not natural to a mercantile setting. But greenery does have its benefits for sound absorption, air quality and beauty.
So Hagen said the plan recommends replacing some trees with shrubs in large pots that can be removed during the winter. Where the sidewalk is wide enough, trees still will remain, sometimes inside beds with seating walls.
The other proposed change involves switching angled parking to parallel spaces on three blocks - the east side of Main Street from Jackson to Jefferson avenues, the east side of Main from Jefferson to Van Buren avenues and the south side of Jefferson from Webster to Main streets. The reconfiguration would decrease parking by 13 spaces.
The downtown advisory commission expects to receive a cost estimate and prioritization of streetscape improvements from P2C next month. If everything looks good, the plan then can advance to the city council for consideration.
"This is a long-term view," Rubin said. "It provides a structure to ensure we keep an eye on the streetscapes and maintain them at a really high level."