The 5th Avenue Steering Committee met recently to review the results of the land use survey.
This survey looked at what residents, both in the area around the development, and in Naperville at-large, would like to see in the 13 acre area surrounding the Metra train station in Naperville.
“Green space and parking, the overwhelming majority across every group included those two land uses among the top three and in many cases the top two. A distant third behind those two was housing,” said Jeff Andreasen, president of aQity Research & Insights.
Another part of the survey looked at the building heights the residents would be willing to accept on each of the plots.
Some lots had two or four stories maximum with clear support from a majority of respondents, others saw some, though not a majority, support for up to six.
But residents near the development who spoke made clear they don’t want anything so large.
“I will say for myself, I voted for four floors on some of these sites. I don’t want to be grouped with the six and six plus votes. I have much more affinity for the up to two votes because my maximum appetite is four,” said Thom Higgins, a 5th Avenue Steering Committee member.
The committee also started working on guiding “concept principles” of the development.
Discussions included using the train station as the focal point, the importance of green space, and respecting the residential nature of the surrounding area.
“This is a residential area, at all times. It’s soft, it’s quiet, it isn’t busy, it isn’t filled with people spilling out of bars. It isn’t that,” said Bob Buckman, another 5th Avenue Steering Committee member.
The meeting was adjourned before discussion of the concept principles was complete. Another 5th Avenue Steering Committee meeting will be scheduled to conclude work on the document.
Naperville City Council is slated to discuss 5th Avenue at their June 19 meeting.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
