Self-storage facility, other improvements approved for Naperville shopping center
A new self-storage facility will be incorporated into the revitalization of a rundown Naperville shopping center after the project gained support from council members and previously concerned neighbors.
The Shorewood Development Group plans to invest roughly $50 million into the Market Meadows Shopping Center at Naper Boulevard and 75th Street in hopes of retaining key tenants, filling vacant storefronts and updating aging infrastructure, according to development plans.
To support the project and generate foot traffic, developers proposed transforming an outdated retail courtyard area into a self-storage business, which would be operated by Northfield-based The Lock Up. The facility would have a 35-foot-wide frontage but would otherwise be hidden behind other retailers and accessed from the back of the shopping center, representatives said.
Though city officials agreed such businesses are not typically ideal for visually prominent retail hubs, several said in previous discussions the use makes sense as proposed for Market Meadows.
Other planned improvements include constructing a new multi-tenant outlot building, reconfiguring the parking lot and improving pedestrian access throughout the property.
The Naperville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved development plans and various deviations for the site, including allowing a non-permitted use - the self-storage facility - within the planned unit development, which zoned for a B2 community shopping center district.
The council amended its code earlier this month to allow for "use deviations" without having broader implications on the entire zoning district.
The storage facility initially was met with opposition from residents of the adjacent Hobson Oaks townhouses over the potential noise, traffic, size and overall impact on surrounding properties. But Mayor Steve Chirico said the city received an email this week from the homeowners association saying members no longer object to the development.
The Shorewood Development Group has been working closely with neighbors to find "a solution that would work for everybody," attorney Vince Rosanova said. The two parties reached an agreement Monday, he said, with the development team pledging to restrict the storage facility's hours to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and add "extensive" landscaping along the property line.
"I appreciate the effort ... made to alleviate the drama and controversy and not bring the fight into the chamber," Councilman Kevin Coyne said. "I think they did a good job of getting all the parties on the same page here."