How do people in Naperville feel about the new Water Street District?
The Daily Herald asked several Naperville notables what excites them - and what concerns them - the most about the opening of the Water Street District.
Excitement abounds
• "With the hotel and the five new restaurants in the district, the Riverwalk area will be filled with visitors day and night."
- Steve Chirico, Naperville mayor
•"We will finally have a hotel in the downtown. More parking, the draws of the restaurants and new shops will also bring more people downtown to shop and dine."
- Becky Anderson, city council member and Anderson's Bookshop owner
• "I'd certainly say Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk because it's the first time we've been able to say you could stay in the downtown. It's going to be a game-changer for out-of-town guests. … It's going to really fill an unmet need."
- Katie Wood, Downtown Naperville Alliance executive director
• "Oh my gosh, all of it. Just all of it."
- Christine Jeffries, Naperville Development Partnership president
• "The inclusion of possibly three public art pieces as part of the Water Street development, in addition to the return of 'Dick Tracy' to the Naperville Township property."
- Brand Bobosky, Century Walk Corporation chairman
• "The use of our collection serving as inspiration for the various designs aspects of the hotel. … Crucial areas of the hotel, like the restaurant, are taken from historically meaningful places to the growth and development of our city."
- Rena Tamayo-Calabrese, Naper Settlement president and CEO
• "It really brings into play the south side of the river that has been derelict for so many years."
- Steve Rubin, downtown advisory commission chairman and downtown property owner
• "It simply adds vitality and added selection in our downtown, which continues to attract new as well as loyal customers."
- Nicki Anderson, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
• "Continuous and safer public access to an expanded Riverwalk because people love to stroll in beautiful, safe surroundings where they run into friends and make new ones."
- Mary Lou Wehrli, Naperville Parks Foundation secretary and DuPage Forest Preserve commissioner
• "There was serious political opposition, but I'm glad we approved it. Some people think it's too big for the site, but it's smaller than earlier proposals. A formerly blighted area will become a major asset for the downtown, especially because of the hotel."
- Joe McElroy, former city council member
• "Naperville has long been a destination for night life, and Water Street should cement our reputation as the premier location for leisure and entertainment in the Western suburbs."
- Janice Anderson, Naperville Township trustee
Concerns? A few ...
• "There is going to be a small learning curve on the new traffic patterns created by the addition of the Water Street District, but with wayfinding and other resources, I know adjustments will happen quickly."
- Steve Chirico, Naperville mayor
• "My concerns have always been the size and scope of this new development and what effect they will have on the Riverwalk, the jewel of this city."
- Becky Anderson, city council member and Anderson's Bookshop owner
• "There's always the idea that parking will be a nightmare. I believe that is a gross overstatement."
- Nicki Anderson, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
• "Loss of sunshine because sunshine provides warmth, hope, health and beauty. It will be too expensive because these sound like high-end tenants. That the river level plantings will frequently wash away because that will muddy up the Riverwalk and increase maintenance costs."
- Mary Lou Wehrli, Naperville Parks Foundation secretary and DuPage Forest Preserve commissioner
• "Will it sometimes cause some traffic congestion? Probably. But like it or not, Naperville is not a little town anymore. It's a mid-sized city. Show me a city downtown with no traffic congestion and I'll show you a place with much more serious problems."
- Joe McElroy, former city council member