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player ready...Urban Land Institute members who analyzed the land surrounding Naperville’s Fifth Avenue train station say it would be best developed with a mix of housing types, small retail businesses, parking and a market-style gathering space.
The recommendations, presented at a meeting Wednesday night, stem from a two-day panel review conducted by the nonprofit in June. Panel members met with residents, city officials and business owners to hear concerns and come up with possibilities for the 15-acre site owned or leased by the city.
Redevelopment options have been discussed for more than a decade. Most recently, the city worked with Minnesota-based Ryan Cos., which got as far as presenting a baseline concept in October 2019 before it was rejected after facing resistance from residents. The project then stalled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There was a density issue, there was a height issue, there was a programming component because part of what Ryan was presenting had an extensive office development,” said Jon Talty, ULI panel member and CEO of OKW Architects. “In a post-COVID world, a suburban office — it’s a tough sell in today’s market.”
Talty also noted there was a perceived lack of transparency with Ryan Cos.’ development plan as well as a lack of clarity for what the city was trying to achieve.
Some of the issues arising from the Ryan Cos. proposal remain relevant today, ULI representatives said. Panel members heard concerns about density and height, traffic, lack of open space, school district capacity, reduced parking and the possibility that the development could become a second downtown.
With those points in mind, the panel said they believed the land would be best developed as a residential area with mixed levels of density that would fit in the character of the neighborhood, meet the city’s housing needs and not compete with downtown.
“I think the building and its surrounding areas could be improved so that when someone gets off that train and they arrive here, they know that there’s a gravitas to it,” Talty said. “They know that they’ve come to a place that’s not like every other place along the Burlington (Metra) line, but it’s different.”
To support that vision, the panel suggested Naperville consider using tax increment financing (TIF) generated by the property to fund infrastructure costs, which could include structured parking, pedestrian and bike connections, underpass upgrades and stormwater improvements.
Building on that idea, ULI recommended the city work with a third party consultant to create a master plan for the site. It should be accompanied by a TIF analysis, cost estimates for public infrastructure improvements and traffic studies.
Development should be phased and involve multiple developers rather than one, ULI representatives said.
Three residential zones
ULI’s review proposed organizing the site into three zones of decreasing density from west to east.
The higher density portion, located west of Washington Street near the DuPage Children’s Museum, could include a 750-car commuter garage with a pedestrian bridge to link buildings across Washington Street. The museum itself could either be enhanced or relocated to better support the area, according to Jodi Mariano, panel member and vice president of design for Teska Associates Inc.
Moving to the east side of Washington Street, closer to where the Metra station is, the panel said they believed there was an opportunity for mixed-use commercial and residential development. Existing homes and businesses would remain, but new amenities could include anything from commuter parking support to grab-and-go food options.
“Burlington Square Park could also be enhanced with landscaping and place-making to make it feel more like a place so that when somebody arrives at the station, they feel like they’re in a special place,” Mariano said, noting that the area around the station could receive similar enhancements.
To the north of the train tracks and east of Washington Street, the panel saw another opportunity for a mixed-use commercial and residential area. Next to that residential development, east of Center Street, the city could create a space where farmers markets and other community gatherings would be held.
As for the Kroehler and Water Tower West lots off of Loomis Street, those areas would remain as parking spaces to support commuters during construction, the ULI panel said.
If the market allows it, the two lots could be developed as part of a second phase of construction in the future, Mariano said. The Kroehler lot could used for single-family homes or townhomes while the water tower lot could be redeveloped for a structured parking deck with the water tower relocated to another location.
Filling housing niches
Residential development could target seniors looking to downsize, workers who have been priced out of Naperville or young professionals who work in the Interstate 88 corridor or commute to Chicago.
Higher-density housing, perhaps in buildings four to six stories high, could be a possibility.
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“Six stories can look very, very different depending on the architecture in the context of the neighborhood,” said Matt Nix, a panel member and managing partner with Reva Development Partners. “We heard many times people say, ‘It can’t be more than four stories,’ but there’s a reality in a densification project you need to achieve scale.”
Nix cited examples in suburbs like Wilmette and Oak Park, where developers built more than four stories of housing over a commercial section that still fit with the neighborhood’s character. The nearby Ellsworth Station housing near Fourth Avenue is an example of they type of housing that could be built.
As for lower-density housing, Nix suggested two- to three-story units similar homes already built on Ellsworth Street as an example.
A community gathering space could take inspiration from the Wheaton French Market or even Pike Place Market in Seattle, Nix said. It would not be a replacement for downtown but another space for residents to enjoy, he said.
“We heard time and time again, people in the neighborhood don’t want tons of retail, but it’d be nice to be able to walk someplace to get a cup of coffee,” Nix said.