A new day care facility could be constructed within a 16-year-old development in Naperville that originally was envisioned solely for office space. The proposal comes as the need for office developments locally and nationally has been in decline.
City officials are in the process of reviewing a proposal from Cypress School, a start-up early childhood center, which is seeking approval to occupy what will become a newly constructed 14,000-square-foot building at 628 N. River Road within the River Woods Office Campus.
‘No longer a viable use’
Eric Prechtel, an attorney with the Naperville-based law firm of Rosanova and Whitaker, is representing BHC Construction LLC, the petitioner behind the project.
BHC is the owner of the property and is seeking approval from city officials for what is being described as a “major change” to a planned unit development that was drawn up in 2008 when the River Woods development first came to fruition.
“Based on the state of the commercial real estate market and office downsizing, an office use is no longer a viable use for the subject property,” Prechtel said at a Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov 20. “This has also been demonstrated by the fact that the property has sat vacant for the last 16 years.”
BHC’s original PUD called for the construction of six office buildings within River Woods Office Campus. To date, four of the six buildings have been constructed. The 1.9-acre parcel within the campus that Cypress School representatives are hoping to occupy has been vacant since the PUD’s inception more than a decade-and-a-half ago.
Curiosity and creativity
Speaking on behalf of Cypress School, Prechtel discussed the startup’s operations plan, as it relates to its placement within the Rive Woods Office Complex, and the day care provider’s philosophy.
Based on information submitted to city officials, Cypress School plans to operate weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., which is a timeframe that closely aligns with other facilities within the region. Center staff will offer full-time, part-time and summer camp options to parents.
The school’s business plan includes an assortment of enrichment programs, alongside the offering of healthy food options for meals and snacks throughout the instructional day.
In the presentation before commissioners, Prechtel indicated the school follows the principles of the Reggio Emilia Philosophy.
“It is an educational approach that emphasizes children’s curiosity and creativity and how they can learn from that exploration and discovery,” Prechtel said in explaining the core tenets behind the philosophy.
City staff, commissioners back proposal
Members of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission cast a unanimous favorable recommendation for the change in the River Wood Office Complex PUD document, putting it one step closer to making the Cypress School proposal a reality.
The Naperville City Council has the final say on the plans in motion and will cast a deciding vote at an upcoming meeting.
For their part, officials within the city’s planning department have endorsed the proposal BHC Construction and Cypress School have brought forward for the currently unused River Woods parcel.
“Staff finds the proposed day care center use is a creative and appropriate use to address vacant land within the development,” Community Planner Anna Franco said. “We find that it is compatible with the variety of adjacent land uses.”
Image courtesy: BHC Construction LLC
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