A proposal to build a downtown parking deck using part of the Nichols Library parking lot has been resurrected by a subcommittee of the Naperville Downtown Advisory Committee.
The concept was first broached in 2007, when city officials suggested building a 500-space garage on a portion of the library’s existing 130-space surface lot on Jefferson Avenue between Eagle and Webster streets.
It returned Wednesday when the Naperville Riverwalk Commission was asked to toss its support behind construction of the new parking structure.
Initially put on hold during the economic recession in the late-2000s, the parking garage idea has been revisited multiple times since then. In March 2024, city officials opted to table the newest effort to revive the concept, citing data showing that residents were mostly satisfied with downtown parking.
“However, because downtown activity was continuing to increase following the pandemic and potential for downtown development remained, the need for additional parking was expected to grow,” said Jennifer Louden, director of the city’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department, who responded to questions via email.
For that reason, city staff has reintroduced the project as part of Naperville’s five-year capital improvement plan, she said.
“Going back almost 20 years now, there’s (been) a lot of public involvement, but the subject has come up a couple of times over the last couple of decades,” city engineer Andy Hynes told the Riverwalk Commission at its Wednesday meeting. “And this was just the latest point of interest to reevaluate or move forward with that parking deck.”
A subcommittee of the Downtown Advisory Committee has been seeking community support for the renewed deck proposal, which members say could potentially benefit the Riverwalk as much as it does the downtown business community.
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“The subcommittee is looking to make a recommendation to the full Downtown Advisory Committee regarding a strategy to advocate for construction of the deck,” subcommittee member Rick Hitchcock told Riverwalk commissioners.
Plans and construction documents were 90% complete when the city hit pause on the project in 2007, Louden said. The design of the deck does not need to be reevaluated, but detailed technical plans need to be reviewed and potentially updated to comply with current codes, she said.
“Right now, we have programmed in our capital improvement plan to do that design update in 2027,” Hynes said at the meeting.
The city also plans on completing a downtown parking study in 2026 to evaluate current parking demand in advance of initiating the Nichols parking deck engineering work in 2027, Louden said. Construction of the deck could start as soon as 2028 if approved.
Hitchcock said the new deck also could allow the Riverwalk Commission to reimagine how the parking lot at Main Street and Jackson Avenue, located across from Sullivan’s Steakhouse, is used. That lot was originally created to accommodate local business owners who were concerned about losing access to nearby parking with the creation of the Riverwalk, he said.
As a concession to area merchants at the time, 20 parking places were kept along Main Street and Jackson Avenue.
The potential for expanded parking at Nichols Library could open up an opportunity to find a new function for the lot at Main Street and Jackson Avenue.
“My suggestion to the commission is that it seems totally appropriate to consider modifying the master plan and perhaps saying something like, ‘Yes, if parking at the Nichols Library deck is the piece that helps to unlock the opportunity to do the remodeling, reimagining of these 20 spaces, then it’s a good thing,’” Hitchcock said.
One potential use he highlighted would be the creation of an outdoor multipurpose space to accommodate more downtown events, he said.
“There could certainly be more green incorporated into it because right now it’s simply asphalt, and there could be something that’s a little bit more environmentally friendly,” Hitchcock said.
Commission members put off voting on the matter until they could obtain more information on the proposal.
Some were receptive to advisory subcommittee’s request, stating that Riverwalk visitors have expressed frustration over a lack of nearby parking options, with some calling it a deterrent to using the public walkway.
“I think having a larger parking option right adjacent to the Riverwalk would be beneficial,” Commissioner Tiffani Picco said. “And I also think it would be interesting to explore some options for that corner parking lot.”
In addition to the lack of parking keeping some away from the Riverwalk, Picco also noted that the lot at Main Street and Jackson Avenue has its own traffic issues.
“When we see people trying to leave that parking lot, the fact that it’s right there at an intersection, you have cars coming this way and then people are trying to turn left out of that parking lot, and it gets really congested at that intersection,” she said.
Others were not as keen about the commission taking a stance on the topic, noting that expanded parking at the library has been a hot-button issue in the past.
“This is a controversial topic in the public. I don’t see why we’re getting involved with it,” Commissioner John Cuff said. “We could make a general comment that we recognize the need for additional parking for people who use the Riverwalk, but I don’t think this is something we should be touching.”