Fireworks, Short Term Rentals, Sexual Harassment Policy on Council Agenda

Naperville City Council has a variety of topics on tap for their June 16 meeting.

Fireworks on the 4th

Though Naperville Responds for Veterans‘ inaugural Naperville Salute has been postponed until 2021, they’re still hoping to celebrate Independence Day with some fireworks. Council will consider granting a permit for their display, which will launch from Frontier Park and will take place from 9:30-10 p.m. on the 4th of July.

The park will be open for residents to watch the fireworks, though viewers will be encouraged to follow social distancing rules or watch from their vehicles. The display will also be about 500 feet higher than normal, allowing residents to see it from further away.

Short-Term Rentals

At council meetings on February 4 and June 2 the dais discussed short-term rentals through companies like AirBnB and VRBO. Council heard complaints at both meetings about parties that occurred where occupancy, noise, late night, and fighting disturbed neighbors in the area of the properties.

City staff and the Naperville Police Department have looked into the issue and provided several examples of regulations Naperville could impose on short-term rental properties, including:

• Minimum length of stay
• Maximum occupancy
• Maximum number of rentals per year
• Owner must occupied rental property
• Parking regulations
• Noise regulations
• Fines

The agenda item notes that the majority of short-term rentals in the city have not been problematic – NPD’s research found less than ten police calls for loud parties at short-term rentals over the past two years. There have been 178 calls for parties at single-family and multi-family residences in that time.

Any regulations city council wants to adopt would likely take several months to draft and vote on.

Central Park Place

Central Park Place developer Great Central Properties is requesting approval of a plat for seventeen residential condominiums located on the second, third and fourth floors of the building currently being constructed on Washington Street Downtown Naperville. There will be two parking spaces associated for each unit located in the lower level and first floor of the building.

Great Central Properties is also requesting a vertical subdivision plat to delineate the commercial property on the first floor from the residential properties above.

Sexual Harassment Policy Update

Council will also consider a resolution updating the city’s sexual harassment policy. This will bring the city’s policy in line with the state amendment from August of 2019, requiring governmental units to provide a system for reporting and review of allegations of sexual harassment made against an elected official by another elected official.

Tune in to the remote meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday via the city’s stream and check NCTV17.com on Wednesday for a recap.

Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.