Open house set on Water Street project
Sun Staff January 9, 2013 12:54PM
Artist rendering of the proposed Water Street project in downtown Naperville. | submitted Nov. 2012
Updated: February 12, 2013 2:14PM
The developer of the proposed Water Street project has scheduled a community open house Jan. 17 to give Naperville residents more information about its revised plans for the site.
The event will run from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Pre-Emption House on the grounds of Naper Settlement at Webster Street and Aurora Avenue in Naperville.
The project is proposed for a site bounded by the DuPage River on the north, Aurora Avenue on the south, Main Street on the east and Webster Street on the west. It would include a hotel, restaurants, retail and office space and a parking deck.
The project has many supporters in Naperville. Also, however, over the past few months, City Council members and some others in the community have raised concerns about the project, notably the height of the hotel and parking and traffic issues the development would create downtown.
Developer Marquette Companies has come up with a revised plan based on the public input.
“We’ve been working diligently with city staff, our architects, traffic and parking specialists to address the issues brought up in public meetings and by members of the City Council,” said Nick Ryan, managing director of Marquette Companies. “We are revising our plans to reflect the specific concerns and we believe that the updated plans will meet the guidelines and spirit of the Water Street Vision Statement and the Naperville Downtown 2030 Plan.”
Ryan said he hopes there will be a good crowd for the upcoming open house.
“As we move forward in review with staff and the Council, we hope to garner response from the community to ensure that the plan we ultimately present in February will be an outstanding and viable development for Naperville,” Ryan said. “Marquette is a Naperville-based company and several of our partners and investors live in Naperville. Our desire is to have Water Street be a thriving mixed use development that we all can be proud of.”
Included in the open house presentation will be revised plans addressing building height, the site plan, streetscape and public spaces, parking and traffic management. There will also be more details about the hotel and the types of retail and restaurants proposed for the development.
Members of Marquette staff will be available to answer questions, and an informational handout will be available.
