The proposed 5th Avenue development is working its way through the steering committee/working group/public engagement phase, with the results of a survey with over 1,500 respondents just released. The respondents were grouped into five categories: Engaged (residents who attended the early meetings and gave their email addresses), Commuters, Crossover (both Engaged and a Commuter), Naperville Wide Residents, and Opt-in web survey respondents (people who accessed the link on the 5th Avenue Development website).
Some key takeaways, from the Residents for Responsible 5th Avenue Development Facebook page :
Naperville residents in all groups expressed interest in residential uses for the area, with commuters signaling the lowest interest at 50%. In other groups, interest ranged from 61% to 75% with a combined average across all groups of 61% favoring residential uses.
There is a significant dichotomy between the initial market research provided by the developer (which suggests a potential of approximately 400 apartments and approximately 100 townhomes/condos for an 80% apartment 20% townhome/condo ratio) and the survey results regarding the desirability of apartments, where interest in apartments by Naperville residents across all groups ranked dead last at 30%, with condo’s coming in first followed by townhomes and then single family homes.
Survey respondents in all groups were strongly supportive of market-rate apartments with an average of 71% supporting, and showing little support at 21% for attainable/workforce housing.
Naperville residents across all groups are strongly in favor of limiting construction to 2 to 4 story on the various lots with a high of 79% supporting 4 floors or less on the Kroehler lot to a low of 66% supporting 4 floor or less on the upper Burlington lot.
Support for providing additional commuter parking across all groups was 69%.
Support for parking decks across all groups averaged 78%. However, based on the wording of the question, they might think this would add to the number of parking spaces available.
Across all groups, support for office uses averaged 56%.
There is overwhelming support across all groups at 89% for public greenspaces with hardscape features.
Across at groups there was little support (5% or less) for doing nothing with the properties.
This is potentially a generational-type issue, probably one of the biggest, most transformational projects that will occur in our lifetimes. With public land. If you have any concerns, now would be the time to get involved.
There is a combined working group meeting open house on the proposed project at the Municipal Center, City Council Chambers on Monday, June 4th, beginning at 5:30.
There is a Steering Committee meeting on the proposed project on Tuesday, June 12th at 6:30 in Room M of the Municipal Center.
The proposed project will be reviewed at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 19th at the Municipal Center.
One of our biggest takeaways from the survey is how strongly residents believe construction should be limited to 2 to 4 stories, which would be consistent with the existing Kroehler building. We hope our City Council members will see the same thing.
The proposed project involves over 13 acres of taxpayer-owned land in a well-established neighborhood.
Our land. Resident-owned land, which the residents have sent a pretty clear message about what we want to see done with our land. Including height.
Will the people we elected to represent us follow our wishes?
