With agenda items concerning a new entertainment and sports complex, street improvements on North Aurora Road, and Sustainable Naperville 2036, Naperville City Council has plenty on its plate for its March 16 meeting.
Another agenda item concerning the future of public art in Naperville is likely to be tabled to a future meeting.
Entertainment and Sports Complex
The Matrix is a proposed entertainment and sports complex located at 808 S. Route 59, next to Mall of India. The former Sam’s Club site has been vacant since 2018, but developers are hoping to bring it back to life with a mixed-use center that includes a banquet hall, batting cages for baseball and cricket, an art studio, a restaurant, and more. The petitioner, KPW Investments, needs council approval to allow conditional zoning uses for some of those amenities.
The Planning and Zoning Commission considered the development at its March 3 meeting and unanimously recommended approving the changes 9-0. City staff also recommends approving those changes.
North Aurora Road Improvements
Naperville is getting a grant to cover street improvements on North Aurora Road between Frontenac Road and Fairway Drive. The street will be widened to two lanes in each direction with a flush median as part of an agreement with Naperville Township.
North Aurora Road will be widened to two lanes in each direction between Frontenac Road and Fairway Drive
Naperville is receiving almost $1o million as part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Campaign, which staff recommends using to pay for these improvements. The city’s share of the cost of improvement was estimated at $4,810,400, but because of a lower-than-expected construction bid, staff has recommended allocating $4.4 million to fully cover the cost of the city’s share of the project.
Sustainable Naperville 2036
The Naperville Environmental and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) is also slated to give a presentation on what it calls Sustainable Naperville 2036 – a 15-year plan that includes objectives and strategies to make Naperville a more sustainable city. Included within the plan are goals like generating 25% of the city’s consumed energy within Naperville’s boundaries, increasing and incentivizing public transportation, net-zero energy for new construction by 2025, and much more.
The Sustainable Naperville 2036 powerpoint can be viewed on the city’s website.
Public Art Presentation
Council is also scheduled to receive a report from the Century Walk Advisory Committee regarding its long-term vision for public art in Naperville. At its December 15 meeting, council asked staff to begin meeting with Century Walk in 2021 to discuss the creation of a Public Art Task Force, due to the nonprofits 25-year history of bringing public art to Naperville. Their first meeting is scheduled for the week of April 19.
The city received Century Walk’s report on March 8, which does not leave enough time for city staff or the SECA Commission, who has also been involved in public art discussions, to review the document and provide a recommendation. This agenda item will likely be tabled until then.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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