Seven years after a previous push to redevelop several city-owned properties around the Naperville Metra Station didn’t come to fruition, discussions are beginning anew about the 5th Avenue area and what it could become.
Largely used as roughly 1,700 commuter parking spaces, the properties were the subject of a study this summer by Urban Land Institute (ULI) Chicago to identify potential redevelopment opportunities. Representatives from the nonprofit network of land use and development professionals presented the findings from their study Wednesday during a public meeting in the Naperville City Council chambers. The report gave high-level guidance about what types of land uses could be located on specific parts of the nearly 15-acre site, ideas for how to fund future construction, and a suggested roadmap for how the city could proceed.
Urban Land Institute studies how to ‘make a place from a space’
City Manager Doug Krieger said the City Council will determine the next steps for any potential redevelopment along 5th Avenue, and the city does not currently have a timeline or schedule.
But leaders now have input from ULI Chicago members, who described the properties as an opportunity to create something special — a place that complements the vibrancy of downtown Naperville, functions smoothly for commuters and neighbors, and offers gathering spaces for the community.
Jon Talty, who led the 5th Avenue study for ULI Chicago and works as CEO of OKW Architects in Chicago, said there is “no silver bullet or single solution” for what could transform the 5th Avenue sites. But the question that guided the ULI Chicago team was how to create “a place from a space.”
“How do we take an opportunity like this, with quite a bit of land available to us, and how do we create something here that can be part of the future of this city and be a great neighbor to those who are proximate to it?” Talty said. “How do we connect all these dots so that it becomes a natural extension of what the city is?”
Recommendation: Start with a consultant to develop a master plan
ULI Chicago recommends the city hire a consultant to develop a master plan with development guidelines as a potential first step toward revamping 5th Avenue. ULI Chicago member Bill Loftus, principal at Spaceco Inc., a Rosemont engineering firm, said this approach would help avoid the “perceived lack of transparency” that some stakeholders felt when Ryan Companies tried to gain approval for plans for the site in 2018.
Loftus also recommended that the city consider establishing what’s known as a TIF, or a tax-increment financing district, to help create a pot of money from which to fund certain infrastructure improvements.
“Developers love certainty,” Loftus said. “With guidelines and master planning, when a community puts that out there, it’s very helpful for developers to project what their future projects could look like.”
Recommendation: Conduct a parking study
An important next step, ULI Chicago members said, could be conducting a parking study. For their report, ULI members estimated 80% of the current parking spots would be retained. But a detailed analysis could better identify how many spaces commuters require — this way land that’s no longer needed for parking could be turned into something else.
A parking study also could be critical because any effort to remove or reallocate parking would require the construction of a parking deck, ULI members said. Building a parking deck comes at a cost, which would require any future developer to build up more density of profitable buildings on the site.
Much concern arose during previous 5th Avenue planning about density, with neighbors fearing proposed designs would be too big to fit in with the area.
Land use ideas for 5th Avenue sites
ULI Chicago shared ideas for what type of uses could fall where within the city-owned properties near the train station, which include the site of the DuPage Children’s Museum and a water tower, along with parking lots.
Along Washington Street, land use experts said, there’s an opportunity for taller buildings and higher density — things like mixed-use structures with retail or restaurants on the ground floor and residences above. Moving further east, ULI Chicago recommended smaller buildings to better fit in with surrounding neighborhoods.
The land just north of the train station could be a good site for a community gathering space or market area. And the site of the children’s museum could be used for a parking garage — if leaders choose to find a different site that better suits the museum.
Potential uses for the sites could include grab-and-go coffee shops or commuter-serving businesses, residences targeted at young professionals, empty nesters or commuters — including price points at affordable, attainable and market rates — and improvements to make the area easier to navigate on foot or on bike.
ULI members also recommended the city allow flexibility when it comes to building height. During previous 5th Avenue discussions, there was discussion of a four-story limit. But ULI members said creative architecture could allow something taller to still fit in.
“It’s really about balancing scale, density and height,” Loftus said.
What’s next? Council to decide
With study findings presented, ULI Chicago now plans to issue a final report summarizing its recommendations within eight weeks. The City Council took no action during Wednesday’s meeting, and all ideas discussed are suggestions — not official plans.
The city directed residents with questions about potential 5th Avenue redevelopment to submit them through the Help Center on the city’s website.
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